Clifford Jordan composed nearly one hundred pieces over a career that spanned from the late 1950s through the early 1990s, developing from simple hard bop tunes into ambitious large-ensemble works. Born Clifford Laconia Jordan in Chicago, he came up alongside fellow Chicagoans John Gilmore and Johnny Griffin before moving to New York, where Horace Silver encouraged him to begin writing during his time in Silver's group. His early compositions appeared on Blue Note and Riverside recordings, and by the mid-1960s he was composing for and conducting European radio orchestras. Jordan's writing partnerships with Cedar Walton produced several notable albums including Spellbound, A Story Tale, and Starting Time. He also served as a sideman with Charles Mingus and Max Roach while continuing to develop his own compositional voice. In the early 1990s, Jordan formed a big band in New York City, arranging his music for the larger ensemble on albums like Play What You Feel and Down Through the Years. Seven of his compositions are featured on AllSolos, including Laconia, named after his middle name, alongside Soul-Lo Blues, Cliff Craft, Toy, Moon-A-Tic, Spellbound, and Hot Water. His body of work reflects a composer who grew steadily more ambitious while remaining rooted in the hard bop language of his formative years.
