Songs for a Friend

Jon Mark is known for Sweet Thursday, the band he formed with Nicky Hopkins, and for his work with Johnny Almond in Mark-Almond. His delicate singing carries a sense of British reserve. Released while Mark-Almond was inactive, this first solo album gathers songs apparently written while travelling through Europe, opening a world of deep inward reflection and a wandering soul.

Mark weaves his songs like stories, shaping this album as an orchestral suite. Carole Johnson arranged the orchestra, with guests Ron Carter on bass and Harvey Blain on drums. Soft orchestral textures bring the piano and vibraphone into sharp relief; steel drums and other acoustic colours add depth. Mark’s whispering voice seems more like narration than a lead vocal, and Sally Terry’s accompanying mezzo-soprano is beautiful. It is a deeply evocative record, like a dream that dissolves and disappears.