Sunflowers and Roses was a perfect follow up to Mark and Yana’s first project together titled the Nightingale. Yana was now completely at home working with Mark in his desire to create music on the spot emanating from intense listening to one another as the music unfolds. As Mark did with Dan Leonard of No Explanations several years earlier, he again has recorded an album of completely improvised pieces occurring between two musicians in the present moment.

Few musicians, in particular virtuoso musicians, are free enough to let go of their control and their preconceived ways of approaching music. Yana Nikol is one such artist and she pairs beautifully with her counterpart on piano in this beautiful project. The title of the CD came from the merging of sunflowers - Yana’s favorite flowers and roses - which are Mark’s. The cover shows their two hands holding the seeds of each type of flower on a plate next to their given instruments.