(MORRISTOWN, NJ) -- Jay Ungar and Molly Mason will perform on Friday, March 23 at 7:30pm at the Morristown Unitarian Fellowship in Morristown. Jay’s haunting “Ashokan Farewell” became the signature piece for Ken Burns’ PBS Civil War series, earning him an Emmy nomination. The sound track won a Grammy.
Jay Ungar (fiddle) and Molly Mason (guitar) have been performing together since the 1970s. Their concerts combine a blend of hard-driving Appalachian, Cajun, and Celtic fiddle tunes, Civil War classics, sassy songs from the golden age of swing and country, stunning waltzes, and deeply moving original compositions. They have performed on Great Performances, A Prairie Home Companion, their own public radio specials, film soundtracks such as Brother’s Keeper, Legends of the Fall, and a host of Ken Burns’ documentaries. They have performed at the White House for two sitting presidents, and they continue to delight audiences around the country.
Jay’s fiddling is brimming with playfulness, drama, soulfulness and technical verve, as he explores the many musical styles and idioms that he has internalized and made his own. Molly’s total mastery and inventiveness on piano and guitar is always spot-on, as she supports the tunes and follows the flow of the melody. Her rich and expressive vocals along with the resonant strains of Jay’s violin, reveal the deep emotions that flow in the duo’s veins.
David Rotenstein, of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said “On stage, Jay and Molly complement each other like a finely crafted fiddle and bow.” And Garrison Keillor, of “A Prairie Home Companion,” said Jay and Molly make music that is simple and overwhelming … joyful and full of feeling … an apotheosis of American traditional music.”
Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Advance tickets may be ordered online at www.folkproject.org. The Morristown Unitarian Fellowship is located at 21 Normandy Heights Road in Morristown, New Jersey.
The Folk Project is a non-profit 501C Corporation whose mission is to present high caliber folk music performances, dances and instructional workshops for the public and members; to encourage development of musicianship, performance, storytelling and dance skills in the Northern New Jersey area and provide interesting social and learning activities relating to traditional and participatory folk music and dance.
Funding for this project has been made possible in part by funds from the Arts Council of the Morris Area through the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.
