On the Vancouver jazz scene, the Talking Pictures era began in the '90s, not the '30s. Trumpeter Bill Clark has been recording and performing with the ensemble of that name since its initial formation in 1993; his collaborative gait reliably pliable; his long-term dedication a hallmark of his own career as well as the ensemble itself. Clark has been intrinsic to a series of invitations involving musicians from outside Vancouver to work on specific projects with Talking Pictures, a casting call which has brought forth respondents from across the border in the United States as well as across the ocean in Europe -- such as Wayne Horvitz and Jorrit Dijkstra, respectively.

The other original members of Talking Pictures are cellist Peggy Lee, guitarist Ron Samworth, and drummer Dylan van der Schyff. Clark has also performed with another cooperative venture, the Vancouver Ensemble of Jazz Improvisation. He is a freelance composer who is particularly proud of Pavel and the Puck, a piece originally written to be performed by a theater group on ice. Having contributed to the unusual genre of "ice theater" makes this artist distinct among other performers named Bill Clark, something a trumpet by itself cannot. Thus, this trumpeting Clark should not be confused with the one in the horn section of the Esther Phillips band, nor is he the same William Clark who played drums on many mainstream jazz records. ~ Eugene Chadbourne, Rovi