Editing John Mayall (section)

====Mark-Almond period, 1969–1970====
[[File:John Mayall 1970-1281 01.jpg|thumb|John Mayall 1970, Niedersachsenhalle, Hannover]]
Chas Crane filled in briefly on guitar. Drummer Allen departed to join [[Stone the Crows]]. This left as the only holdover bassist Thompson who would also eventually join Stone the Crows.<ref>{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]|editor=Colin Larkin|editor-link=Colin Larkin (writer)|publisher=[[Virgin Books]]|date=1997|edition=Concise|isbn=1-85227-745-9|pages=1142/3}}</ref>

Mayall tried a new format with lower volume, acoustic instruments, and no drummer. He recruited acoustic [[fingerstyle guitar]]ist [[Jon Mark]] and flautist-saxophonist [[Johnny Almond]].<ref name="LarkinGE">{{cite book|title=[[The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]|editor=[[Colin Larkin]]|publisher=[[Guinness Publishing]]|date=1992|edition=First|isbn=0-85112-939-0|page=70/1}}</ref> Mark was best known as [[Marianne Faithfull]]'s accompanist for three years and for having been a member of the band [[Sweet Thursday (band)|Sweet Thursday]] (which included pianist [[Nicky Hopkins]] and future [[Cat Stevens]] collaborator [[Alun Davies (guitarist)|Alun Davies]], also a guitarist). Almond had played with Zoot Money and [[Alan Price]] and was no stranger to Mayall's music—he had played baritone sax on four cuts of ''Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton'' and some of ''[[A Hard Road]]''.<ref name="LarkinGE" /> This new band was markedly different from previous Mayall projects, and its making is well documented both on the 1999 double CD ''The Masters'' and on the 2004 DVD ''The Godfather of British Blues/The Turning Point''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Collette |first1=Doug |title=John Mayall: John Mayall: The Godfather Of British Blues/The Turning Point |url=https://www.allaboutjazz.com/john-mayall-the-godfather-of-british-blues-the-turning-point-by-doug-collette/ |website=AllAboutJazz |date=23 September 2004}}</ref>

Along with the big change in sound, Mayall decided on a big change in scenery: a move to Los Angeles. The new band made its US debut at the [[Newport Jazz Festival]] on 5 July,<ref name="Strange Brew"/> whilst the performance of 12 July at the [[Fillmore East]] provided the tracks for the live album ''[[The Turning Point (John Mayall album)|The Turning Point]]''.<ref name="LarkinBlues"/> A studio album, ''[[Empty Rooms]]'', was recorded with the same personnel, with Mayall's next bassist, former [[Canned Heat]] member [[Larry Taylor]], playing bass in a duet with Thompson on "To a Princess".<ref name="LarkinBlues"/>