Tony, I've not really found the Tone Poets in general to be too bright. One or two have been on the borderline. I remember the beginning of Jackie McClean's 'It's Time' making me jump out of my seat a bit at first - it certainly sounds hot, but I think that's probably true to the recording (and to Jackie Mclean). On the other hand, a direct comparison of the Classic 'Speak No Evil' with the Music Matters 33RPM, which is also Kevin Gray mastered, does suggest that he is taking a slightly different strategy recently - it is a tiny bit brighter. So I'd take this on a case by case basis (and maybe we should do that on a detailed comparison thread).
The Verve Black Saint is Ryan Smith rather than Kevin Gray. And I think he has a different signature again. For me it feels a bit more like a mild 10Khz emphasis, rather than presence region, but this is total guess-work and I have no engineering experience, so do take with a pinch of salt.
As for Japanese, I'd resist the brightness claim. I've done a lot of comparisons over recent years since my friend Paul (Mellstock) started importing them, and we've found the results are all over the place. E.g. we compared a Japanese reissue of Ornette Coleman's 'Something Else'- with an 80s Contemporary reissue, and the latter was significantly brighter. More recently, I've briefly compared the BN Classic reissue of Tyner's 'The Real McCoy' with an 80s Japanese pressing, and the Classic is clearer and brighter. I imagine the Japanese is probably closer to the RVG, but I've no reference for that claim. Yes, we've found brighter Japanese pressings - a Stones LP that to me was really hyped in the presence region (but some people love). But I think there is too much variation in Japanese pressings. I think the only generalisations we can really make are that the vinyl tends to be less flawed, and Japanese collectors take good care of them, making them an excellent investment.