To the Heart

Biography

Mark–Almond were an English band of the late 1960s and early 1970s, who worked in the territory between rock and jazz. In 1970 Jon Mark and Johnny Almond formed Mark-Almond (also occasionally referred to as The Mark-Almond Band). The melancholy tones of saxophonist Almond were an integral part of the group's sound, and Almond frequently played flutes as well, including the rarely-heard bass flute. Characterized by a blend of blues and jazz riffs, latin beats, and a mellow rock aesthetic, and in...

Mark–Almond were an English band of the late 1960s and early 1970s, who worked in the territory between rock and jazz. In 1970 Jon Mark and Johnny Almond formed Mark-Almond (also occasionally referred to as The Mark-Almond Band). The melancholy tones of saxophonist Almond were an integral part of the group's sound, and Almond frequently played flutes as well, including the rarely-heard bass flute. Characterized by a blend of blues and jazz riffs, latin beats, and a mellow rock aesthetic, and in contrast the heavier guitar-driven rock of his contemporaries, composer and band leader Mark worked at producing warm and melodic works.

Early history
In 1963, Jon Mark, using his given name Jon Michael Burchell, and a former schoolmate, Alun Davies; singer-songwriter, folk guitarist and skiffle musician, (later of Cat Stevens' band), recorded an album as a duo, with the name Relax Your Mind, on Deram Records' new label, Decca.

Mark and Mick Jagger co-produced Marianne Faithfull's early recordings, with Mark recording on at least one album, touring with Davies again, both as supporting guitarists for Faithfull. Upon returning, both Mark and Davies travelled extensively throughout the UK, and France, busking until they secured a job entertaining on a Cunard Line ship, crossing the Atlantic sixteen times. Tired of their voyages, both moved away in differing musical directions. Five years later, the two united in a five-piece band, the short-lived Sweet Thursday. The band had only one recording, the eponymous Sweet Thursday on Fontana Records. The band was composed of Jon Mark, Alun Davies, Nicky Hopkins, Harvey Burns, and Brian Odgers. However, the album was not promoted by their record label, and the bandmates never toured. Fontana Records later declared bankruptcy.

Johnny Almond had previously played in the Alan Price Set and had recorded a 1970 solo record for Deram Records, Johnny Almond's Music Machine, as well as performing considerable session work in England.

The two began playing together in John Mayall's popular Bluesbreakers band in 1969, and can be heard on the records The Turning Point and Empty Rooms. From that experience they decided to form Mark-Almond. Davies, though invited, was unreceptive. He had found a position as guitarist in Cat Stevens' band, and "was "getting a buzz off Stevens' work.".

Mark-Almond
Mark-Almond's first two albums, Mark-Almond (1971) and Mark-Almond II (1972) were recorded for Bob Krasnow's Blue Thumb label, and were noted for their embossed envelope-style album covers. "One Way Sunday" was a hit for them in America and hit #1 in Boston in 1970. The group then recorded two albums for Columbia Records, Rising (1972) and the live Mark-Almond '73 (1973), by which time the group's members had grown to seven. The liltingly arranged but thematically depressing "What Am I Living For" from 73 gained the group the most U.S. radio airplay they would get, but nevertheless they disbanded later that year.

Jon Mark released a solo record for Columbia Song For A Friend in 1975. He and Almond reunited in 1975 and released To the Heart on ABC Records in 1976, which featured noted drummer Billy Cobham. Other notable musicians who have recorded or toured with Mark-Almond include drummer Dannie Richmond, violinst Greg Bloch, keyboardist Tommy Eyre and bassist Roger Sutton. Eyre and Sutton later teamed in Riff Raff. A&M Records signed the duo in 1978 and released Other Peoples Rooms, but the record did not sell as well as earlier releases. A number of European releases followed, but Mark-Almond disbanded again in the early 1980s. Mark-Almond reunited again in 1996 for a CD called Night Music featuring keyboardist Mike Nock and others.

Later history
Jon Mark eventually moved to New Zealand in the mid-1980s and has released a number of successful solo New Age music recordings on his White Cloud music 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 a Grammy award in 2004. Johnny Almond at last report was living in the San Francisco Bay area. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.