NEW RELEASES : In Brief

* * * 1/2 Ross Tompkins, “AKA ‘The Phantom,’ ” Progressive. For 25 years, pianist Tompkins was seen, but too seldom heard, with Doc Severinsen’s band on the “Tonight Show.” But he’s long displayed his solo talents both on albums and in Los Angeles area nightspots--he’s currently heard every Tuesday with Jack Sheldon at J.P.’s Lounge in Burbank. Here Tompkins, working with a fine piano, delivers a flawless choice of tunes--memorable standards such as “Imagination,” “Charade” and “My Idea,” investing many with his own personal harmonic reworkings. There’s also a charming Tompkins original, “Amanda.”

New albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).