Jay Ungar
& Molly Mason
WALTZING WITH YOU
Angel 66782
visit Jay and Molly's website
album is available from there
This disc is a re-release of the soundtrack from the documentary film BROTHER'S KEEPER, which truly enhances the effectiveness of this film. It, at the same time, is a fine and wonderful disc that stands on its own merits. Jay and Molly have that rare ability to evoke mood swings with the tonalities of their music. At times the music evokes the grey bitter loneliness of a freezing winter day with the trees bereft of leaves lashing at the sky. Other moments it is the joy of a warm fecund spring day bursting forth with all its growth. I hadn't seen the movie, sure meant to but... Thus when I listened to this disc the first time I wasn't remembering the movie, but just being taken by the music to all these emotional places. When I then watched the film it was even more effective because of the music. A friend who watched it with me, had never heard the sound track was equally in awe of the music, just while watching the movie. Days later when we listened to WALTZING WITH YOU the images from the movie came floating back. This was a very rare occurrence for the two of us. Initial reactions to the music from having been in that upstate NY region were truly evocative of the seasons of the year, and used to a great effectiveness. I have seen Jay play a number of times and this is something that should not be missed. He is one of the finest fiddle players I have seen. Though their styles are quite different at times I would pay dear money to see he and Mark O'Connor play together. This is simple music played with overwhelming feeling and conviction; this is more than the music of the life force of the region and its people. Jay is perhaps best known for his work on THE CIVIL WAR, the PBS award-winning documentary, but I would rank Jay and Molly's, THE LOVER'S WALTZ, as an equal accomplishment. In fact it is one of the discs on a list of discs I was just asked to compile that I would like to be stuck on a deserted island with, and this one, WALTZING WITH YOU, is right up there with its companion THE LOVER'S WALTZ.
Songs, composers, and composers
1. Brother's Keeper (opening theme) - 3:17 - Ungar
2. Lyman's Walk - :58 - Ungar
3. The Streets of Munnsville - 2:13 - Ungar/Mason
4. The Golden Eagle Two-Step - 3:06 - Ungar/Mason
5. I'm Just A-Fiddlin' - 2:15 - Ungar
6. Waltzing With You (vocal version) - 2:37 - Mason
7. Fog Scene - 1:06 - Ungar
8. Roscoe's Waterfall - 2:35 - Ungar
9. The Fiddler's Elbow - 4:18 - Ungar
10. Johnson's Road - 2:46 - Trad. arr. Ungar/Mason
11. The Auction - 1:45 - Ungar/Mason
12. Fall To Winter - :48 - Mason
13. Delbert's Tear - 2:32 - Ungar
14. The Tractor Breakdown - 2:47 - Trad. arr. Ungar/Mason
15. Gobblers - 1:56 - Trad. arr. Ungar/Mason
16. Cows on the Hill - 3:45 - Ungar
17. The Trial - 3:25 - Ungar/Mason
18. Waltzing With You (inst) - Mason
19. Brother's Keeper (closing theme) - 1:59 - Ungar
Musicians
Jay Ungar - violin, viola, mandolin, guitar, vocals
Molly Mason - guitar, bass, vocals
Guy "Fooch" Fishetti - pedal steel guitar
Peter O'Brien - drums