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Quick Q and A with Jay Ungar
 by Kathy S-B  ·  21 April 2008

The me&thee is absolutely delighted to have Jay Ungar and Molly Mason come to our stage for the first time. Their music is soul-stirring, to say the least. Check out this video of Jay Ungar explaining how he came to write his signature song, “Ashokan Farewell.” Just go onto You Tube and do a search for “Ashokan Farewell” and see the wide range of performances of this song. Simply amazing. Come to see Marblehead music students playing this gorgeous song with Jay Ungar on April 25. It will surely be a stunning evening of music.

Jay Ungar and Molly Mason
“Ashokan Farewell” has undoubtedly made an immense impact on so many people. Your story about its origin having to do with the emotions you felt after a particularly meaningful time at the Ashokan music camp is so interesting. The intensity of that music is so riveting and compelling. It must feel pretty amazing to hear people relate how important that piece of music is to them.
Since then it has taken on a life of its own.
How did you get involved with Ken Burns and the making of the Civil War documentary?
We released “Ashokan Farewell” on a Fiddle Fever album in 1984. Two members of Fiddle Fever, Russ Barenberg and Matt Glaser, were working on music for Ken’s 2nd film, The Brooklyn Bridge that year. They gave him a copy of the album and it wasn’t long before he was in touch with me asking to use “Ashokan Farewell” in his next film, Huey, the story of Huey Long. In the next few years Molly and I, other members of Fiddle Fever and several other musical friends were heard on what has turned into a prodigious series of Ken Burns’ historical documentaries. These include, The Congress, Empire of the Air, Thomas Hart Benton, Baseball, The West, Not for Ourselves Alone, Thomas Jefferson, Lewis and Clark and more.
The famous Sullivan Ballou letter (My dear Sarah) that is read while “Ashokan Farewell” is played is one of the most amazing moments in television history. I can actually remember how I felt when I watched that way back when it was first aired. I’m sure you hear this all the time. It’s kind of like a “I saw the Beatles on Ed Sullivan moment” for me. How did you and / or Ken figure out that that song was perfect for the particular segment?
It was Ken who put the two together. We first viewed that segment at Ken’s home in Walpole, New Hampshire. As I remember, he’d been carrying a folded up version of Sullivan Ballou’s famous letter in his wallet for years, having discovered it long before the series was complete. For me and many others, Ken’s coupling of “Ashokan Farewell” and Ballou’s letter is a prime example of his almost uncanny ability to connect music, words and images on many levels at once in a powerful way.
So what’s it like to play at the White House? Which presidents did you play for? Any memorable anecdotes to share about those shows?
In the 1990s Molly and I performed at the White House for President Clinton with Jacqueline Schwab, Matt Glaser and L. E. McCullough when Ken Burns previewed his film, Lewis and Clark in the East Room. At the reception afterward, we musicians were standing together and President Clinton, who’d been circulating among the guests, drifted over and began talking with us about music. We must have been monopolizing his time, because someone eventually guided him away to speak with actual dignitaries. The Lewis and Clark Expedition was planned in the East Room and essentially ended there. Many historical treasures were on display including journals, plant and animal specimens and much more. It was an unforgettable day.
More recently we had the honor of returning to the White House on St. Patrick’s Day ’06 to perform with flutist Sir James Galway for President George W. Bush and about 300 guests. We recorded a CD with Sir James in 2001 and love working with him. As we were announced and began moving towards the stage, my mandolin strap caught on a piece of furniture and the instrument banged harmlessly, but noisily against a table top. Everything stopped for what was probably a second, but felt much longer, as all eyes, including the Secret Service, were on me. I said, “Everything’s OK!,” as clearly and calmly as I could and people seemed to relax. The performance went on was well received by all. Whew!
We also had the great pleasure and honor of performing for President and First Lady Carter with my daughter Ruth and son-in-law Mike Merenda. It was a concert at the Springer Auditorium in Columbus, Georgia and the Carters were in the audience. During the intermission the backstage door opened and six people in black suits entered and lined the walls. We didn’t know what to make of it till the Carters entered the room. We had a nice long chat. What gracious and fascinating people.
Did you think much about the Civil War before you met Ken Burns? Have you gained new insight into this important part of American history and have your thoughts changed at all over the years?
Before working with Ken, I had no more than a passing interest in the Civil War, but I loved the music. Looking back, I see this as a disconnect, since the music and the struggles of the times were so intrinsically connected. After working on the series, both Molly and I became kind of obsessed with the Civil War and 19th century American history. I have a wall of books on all aspects of the period and continue to devour new information and perspectives to this day. It has definitely broadened my views about America, how we got to our current set of struggles and where we might be headed in the future.

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