Turning 80 seems to be rejuvenating the already youthful Wadada Leo Smith. These two very different releases by the trumpeter find him sounding robustly ambitious, especially as they are in formats that leave little room for error. As the title suggests, Trumpet is about the instrument and nothing else and is the latest in a long line of solo recordings that stretches right back to the early 1970s (the Kabell tapes for instance), but there is something very special not just about Smith's performance but the setting: a 15th century church, St Mary's in Pohja, Finland. The stone and wood structure has proved a wonderfully receptive backdrop for brass soliloquies that move from full-bodied roar to the most restrained hiss. Smith's use of pause and silence produces many deeply moving moments that impart to the three CDs worth of material a very cogent sense of narrative – as if the player were letting the absence of sound shape the presence of it, and his ebb and flow between earthy melody and showers of polychrome effects is remarkable. Furthermore, Miikka Huttunen's crystal-clear mix only adds to the majesty of this series of what are quite beautiful contemplations.

Sacred Ceremonies is poignant insofar as it provides an opportunity to hear the late, great percussionist Milford Graves, both in duet with Smith and in a trio with the trumpeter and bass guitarist Bill Laswell on another well produced three-CD set. Revered for his work with legendary bands such as New York Art Quartet, Graves was innovative in his approach to texture as well as rhythm, and his understated cymbal patterns, more caress than crash, and artful integration of bongo and djembe beats make him an African-American drummer in the true sense. The way he hovers around Smith's melodies, making the time flow without constant explicit statement is wonderful, and that quality is also effective when the duo is joined by Laswell.

With a heavily treated sound that moves between blurry mistiness and squelchy funkiness, all in the name of an imaginary Bootsy Karnins, Laswell fits in well on a set that has a loose, off the cuff ambiance, whereby brass, bass and drums float in one sensual cloud of sound. For the most part the pace is anything but frantic, and the medium tempo enables the spikes of energy and emphasis to be heard and felt all the more clearly. The brooding, skulking character of some of the songs occasionally squares the circle between Electric Miles and dub, but it is precisely the lack of expected guitars or keys that gives the music a far less dense yet nonetheless penetrating quality. The duet between Smith and Laswell offers a final perspective on Smith's sound, which is well served by the bassist's strong, often austere grooves that leave sufficient breathing space for the songs to fully grow.

Together these two box sets strengthen the case for Wadada Leo Smith as an absolutely monumental figure in contemporary creative music who, as he enters his ninth decade, just keeps on growing taller than trees.