Famous folk duo delivers American roots music of the heart

By SANDY LONG

NARROWSBURG, NY — It doesn’t get much better than this: American acoustic music deftly delivered and with a good dose of heart by Jay Unger and Molly Mason, in an 80-year-old Art deco-style theater perched above the Delaware River in Narrowsburg, on a sweet spring evening with buds bursting and birds making their own brand of music.

The appearance of the accomplished duo will occur on Saturday, May 3, when they bring their moving and spirited music to town during a performance sponsored by the Delaware Valley Arts Alliance (DVAA). The couple will sing and play an assortment of instruments including fiddle, mandolin, guitar and piano, with selections ranging from hard-driving Appalachian fiddle tunes, stirring Civil War classics and songs from the golden age of Swing. Audience members will even be invited to sing along to some of the soul-satisfying tunes.

“An audience at a live performance is like a little community,” said Unger. “We enjoy a shared experience for a time. And it provides a good excuse to get off the couch, get away from the computer and meet one another.”

Many fans know the couple’s music through appearances on “A Prairie Home Companion,” their own public radio specials and work on film soundtracks such as “Brother’s Keeper,” Legends of the Fall” and various Ken Burns documentaries. They have appeared on “CBS Good Morning,” “The Rosie O’Donnell Show,” “All Things Considered” and “A Prairie Home Companion.”

One of the pair’s most recognized pieces, the haunting and mesmerizing “Ashokan Farewell,” came to the attention of the filmmaker, Ken Burns, who was so taken with its evocative melody that he used it in his film, “Huey,” then invited the couple to contribute music to many of his other projects. The tune became the main theme of Burns’ PBS documentary, “The Civil War,” and resulted in an Emmy nomination for Unger and a Grammy for the soundtrack album.

Another well-known composition is the title track of “The Lovers’ Waltz,” an album of romantic fiddle music from Appalachian, Scandinavian, Celtic, Klezmer and Swing traditions. Their most recent album, “Relax Your Mind,” is a mix of country blues, waltzes, vintage jazz, western swing, two step and Dixieland jams recorded with their band, Swingology.

The duo has twice performed at the White House, though they admit to finding more “like-minded” people along the byways of America during their frequent travels around the country. “We get to meet a fair amount of our audience following performances,” said Mason. “We enjoy getting to know people with similar interests and connecting with them through the music.”

“If we were just traveling without the music, it would be a very different experience,” added Unger.

The couple met in the late ‘70s while performing at a rural New York club called the Town Crier. The early ‘80s brought the opening of their renowned Ashokan Fiddle and Dance Camps for enthusiasts of American music and dance traditions. Based in Olivebridge, approximately 25 miles west of Kingston, the camp is in its 29th year at the Ashokan Field Campus, an exquisite 365-acre natural site south of the Ashokan Reservoir.

Unger and Mason, who married in 1991, offer workshops in addition to their performances and have graciously shared their expertise along the way. “Sometimes people are motivated to take up an instrument after experiencing this music,” said Mason. “It’s a nice outcome for us.”

“We feel really lucky to have wound up in this situation,” said Unger. “Good fortune has come our way.”

The show begins at 8:00 p.m. at the Tusten Theatre at 210 Bridge Street, Narrowsburg. Tickets cost $22. DVAA members enjoy $2 off advance sales. Visit www.ArtsAllianceSite.org for more information. For tickets, call 845/252-7272.