Conception Vessel

Drummer Paul Motian was an artist through and through whose sheer sense for the kit was unmatched. This was obvious to ECM founder Manfred Eicher, whose urging led to this 1972 recording, Motian’s debut as leader and composer. Over the next four decades, they collaborated on a slew of recordings, but the philosophical depths reached here with pianist Keith Jarrett, bassist Charlie Haden, guitarist Sam Brown, violinist Leroy Jenkins, and flutist Becky Friend are extraordinary. Motian’s restraint is his superpower, as demonstrated in his solo “Ch’i Energy,” while tracks like “Inspiration From a Vietnamese Lullaby” hint at a worldly bent.