"It's long been a dream for me to make a recording like I Will," explains John Clark about his debut Postcards CD. "I wanted to explore a way of playing that musicians don't often get to do - group improvisation, both with and without existing tunes. It's a way of playing that is more challenging - for the musicians and the listeners alike - but that is also much more rewarding. I was fortunate to have been able to assemble this group of musicians, many of whom I've played with a lot over the years, who all love this challenge as much as I do, who live for the opportunity to listen, respond, and make their own musical statements in real time."

On I Will, Clark demonstrates loudly, clearly, and beautifully that he is not only everyone's first-choice French horn player, but also a brilliant improviser, composer, and orchestrator, showing off his many talents with a variety of musical groupings. Orchestral compositions such as the hard‑driving rendition of Coltrane's "India" and Clark's passionate ballad "I Will" feature almost all the musicians on the CD - Stanton Davis on trumpet, Bruce Ditmas on drums, Alex Foster on tenor and soprano saxophones, Chris Hunter on flute and alto saxophone, Howard Johnson on bass clarinet, Ryo Kawasaki on guitar, Pete Levin on keyboards, Mike Richmond on bass, and Dave Taylor on trombone and bass trombone. But the CD also includes a diversity of smaller ensembles, such as the quintet that plays the unrestrainedly melodious version of "My One and Only Love" (Clark, Ditmas, Kawasaki, Levin, and Richmond) and intimate, free trios and duets, as on "Now You Start" (Clark, Davis, and Taylor) and "Sister E.M.C." (Clark and Levin).

"The tune 'I Will' is very special to me," notes Clark about the composition that gave the recording its name. "It was inspired by the words to a prayer from my religion, which is the Baha'i Faith. The prayer is a favorite of mine, and it deals with trying to maintain a positive attitude while struggling with adversity. I hope I've been able to express that through the music." Throughout the CD, in this kind of very personal way, Clark's music genius shines.

The list of musicians Clark has played with over the years is impressive. In addition to long-lasting associations with Gil Evans, McCoy Tyner, and Carla Bley, he has performed and/or recorded with such jazz artists as Joe Lovano, Pat Metheny, John Scofield, J. J. Johnson, Anthony Davis, Leroy Jenkins, Johnny Griffin, Jimmy Heath, Julius Hemphill, and George Russell. But Clark doesn't limit himself to jazz: he has also played in such classical groups as Speculum Musicae, the Aspen Wind Quintet, and the Brooklyn Philharmonic, and with such pop artists as Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, and Billy Joel. Before recording I Will for Postcards, Clark released three other CDs as a leader: Il Suono (CMP), Faces (ECM), and Song of Light (Hidden Meaning Music).