Mark-Almond

Mark–Almondwas ajazz-influenced English pop group of the 1970s and early 1980s, sometimes also calledThe Mark-Almond Band. The core members wereJon Mark, who sang lead and played guitar, percussion, and harmonica, andJohnny Almond, who played saxophone, flute and bass flute and sang back-up. Various other musicians recorded and toured with the duo at various times, notably including drummerDannie Richmond, a longtime associate of jazz bassistCharles Mingus.
In 1963, Jon Mark, using his given name John Michael Burchell, and a former schoolmate,Alun Davies, singer-songwriter,folk guitaristandskifflemusician (later ofCat Stevens' band), recorded as aduoan album entitledRelax Your Mind, onDecca Records.
From 1965 on, Mark accompaniedMarianne Faithfullon herrecordingsand concerts. Moreover, he wrote and arranged many tracks on her first three albums (Marianne Faithfull,Come My WayandNorth Country Maid), also writing a few songs for her ("Come My Way", "Lullaby").
In 1968 Mark and Davies founded the short-lived bandSweet Thursday. The five-piece band had only one recording, the eponymousSweet Thursday, onFontana Records. The band was composed of Jon Mark, Alun Davies,Nicky Hopkins, Harvey Burns, andBrian Odgers. However, the album was not promoted by their record label, and the bandmates never toured.
Johnny Almond, born John Albert Almond on 20 July 1946 inEnfield, Middlesex, previously played inZoot Money's Big Roll Bandand theAlan Price Set, as well as performing considerable session work in England.
In 1969 he had founded Johnny Almond's Music Machine and had recorded two solo records:Patent PendingandHollywood Blues. OnPatent PendingAlmond is accompanied by Geoff Condon,Jimmy Crawford, Steve Hammond, Roger Sutton and Johnny Wiggins. OnHollywood Blueshe jams withCurtis Amy,Hadley Caliman, Joe Harris,Charles Kynard, Ray Neapolitan,Joe Pass, Earl Palmer andVi Redd.
Almond and Mark began playing together on John Mayall's (post-Bluesbreakers) records,The Turning Point(1969) andEmpty Rooms(1969). From that experience they decided to form Mark-Almond.
Mark-Almond's first two albums,Mark-Almond(1970) andMark-Almond II(1971), were recorded for Bob Krasnow'sBlue Thumblabel, and were noted for their embossed envelope-stylealbum covers. The first album, including "The Ghetto", received many plaudits. It also contained "The City", which, at 10 minutes, 32 seconds, is notable for its range of styles and musical expertise.
The band's second album contained theBostonregional hit song "One Way Sunday", which garneredairplayfor them in the United States on album-oriented rock stations in Boston, Massachusetts on the WBCN FM AORradio station, and in Baltimore, MD at WAYE, according to Program Director Ty Ford. The group then recorded two albums forColumbia Records,Rising(1972) and the live albumMark-Almond 73(1973), by which time the group's members had grown to seven.
In October 1972,Mark was involved in an accident in Hawaii and lost most of his left-handring finger.Speaking on the incident, Mark was quoted later inMelody Makeras saying he "climbed like a native and fell like an Englishman"."What Am I Living For" fromMark-Almond 73gained the group the most U.S. radio airplay they would get, but nevertheless they disbanded later that year.
Mark released a solo record for Columbia,Song for a Friend, in 1975. He and Almond reunited in 1975 and releasedTo the HeartonABC Records(which had acquired Blue Thumb) in 1976, which featured the drummerBilly Cobham. Other notable musicians who have recorded or toured with Mark-Almond include drummer Dannie Richmond, violinist Greg Bloch, keyboardistTommy Eyreand bassist Roger Sutton. Eyre and Sutton later teamed inRiff Raff.A&M Recordssigned the duo in 1978 and releasedOther Peoples Rooms(which contained a rerecorded version of "The City"), but the record did not sell as well as earlier releases. Mark-Almond disbanded again in the mid 1980s, after releasing two albums,Tuesday in New York'(1980) and a live offeringThe Last & Live(1981). In 1996 Mark-Almond reunited again for a CD release,Night Music, which featured keyboardistMike Nockand others.
Mark moved to New Zealand in the mid 1980s, and released a number of successful soloambient musicrecordings on his White Cloud record label, as well as collaborating with other artists on traditional Celtic and folk recordings and producing other artists. A release of Tibetan monk chants Mark recorded and produced with his wife Thelma Burchell won aGrammy Awardin 2004.
Almond lived in theSan Francisco Bay Area. He died on 18 November 2009 from cancer, aged 63. He occasionally surprised local bar owners, arriving with his sax to jam, some of which was recorded, including a rousing rendition of "Stormy Monday".