Swinging Door Music

Jay & Molly's Recordings

Latest Release!

The Pleasures of Winter [CD only] Music for Winter and the Holiday Season featuring Jay & Molly's live performances from their annual Public Radio program with a variety of great musicians making guest appearances in the house band including: Harry Aceto, David Bromberg, Peter Davis, Peter Ecklund, Laurel Massé, Brian Melick, Michael Merenda, Ruth Ungar Merenda, Kate Pierson, Steve Rust, Butch Thompson, Tony Trischka and Sam Zucchini.

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Special pricing for orders of 2-5 CDs.

A Song of Home - An American Musical Journey [CD only] Jay Ungar & Molly Mason have joined with flutist James Galway, mandolinist Peter Ostroushko and bass player Steve Rust to create A Song of Home, an album of American melodies featuring such favorites as Ostroushko's Heart of the Heartland, Ungar & Mason's The Lovers' Waltz and Jerry Holland's My Cape Breton Home, along with classics by Stephen Foster and a moving collection of traditional melodies as well. Two vocal duets by Molly and Ruth Ungar also grace this recording, which is slated for release by RCA on September 24th. (RCA/Red Seal 2002)

 The story of A Song of Home (video - 2.5 minutes)

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Read the Press Release

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A Treasury of Tall Tales [CD only] Four stories read by great actors with wonderful music, on Rabbit Ears!

RIP VAN WINKLE
Read by Anjelica Huston
Original Music by Jay Ungar and Molly Mason
This Washington Irving classic tells the story of likeable but lazy Rip Van Winkle, who shared a strange brew with some mysterious strangers and fell into a deep sleep for 20 years. He discovers when he finally wakes that things are considerably different than he remembers, providing a cautionary tale about making the most of life.

DAVY CROCKETT
Read by Nicolas Cage
Original Music by David Bromberg with Jay & Molly
Follow the escapades of America's ultimate backwoods hero as he travels the frontier in his trademark coonskin cap in search of adventure and brags his way into history at the Battle of the Alamo.

JOHNNY APPLESEED
Read by Garrison Keillor
Original Music by Mark O'Connor
Here is the touching tale of the good-natured naturalist who traveled through the Ohio Valley in the early 1800s planting apple orchards, making friends, and spreading goodwill. Walk the miles with this barefoot explorer who never met an apple pie he didn't like.

PAUL BUNYAN
Read by Jonathan Winters
Original Music by Leo Kottke with Duck Baker
The larger-than-life lumberjack swaggers through the forests of North America with his faithful companion, Babe the Blue Ox, by his side. Hear about the pancake griddle that's over an acre wide and the truly tall tale of how the Great Lakes and Grand Canyon were created.

All four stories o two CDs for only $19.95

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American Dreamer [CD only] An essential Stephen Foster collection sung by baritone Thomas Hampson accompanied by Jay Ungar and Molly Mason, David Alpher and others. Selections include favorites such as I Dream of Jeannie and Beautiful Dreamer, as well as lesser known gems like Hard Times Come Again No More and Gentle Annie. (Angel Records)

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The Best of Fiddle Fever [CD only] This 75 minute CD combines Fiddle Fever's two albums of classic fiddle extravaganzas ranging old-time to blues, bluegrass to western swing, plus some that defy categorization. Intelligent, heartfelt arrangements with a touch of wit and whimsy featuring triple fiddles by Jay Ungar, Matt Glaser, Evan Stover with Russ Barenberg and Molly Mason on guitar and bass, and a few cuts with Tony Trischka on banjo. Includes Snowbird in the Ashbank, Waltz of the Wind, Stay All Night, Old Fashioned Love, Icelandic Hymn, the original 1983 recording of Jay's Ashokan Farewell and much more. (Flying Fish 1991)

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The Catskill Collection [CD only] Jay & Molly's compilation of music of the Catskill Mountains. Includes The Unbroken Thread and Ashokan Farewell (Fiddle & Dance Records 1998)

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Civil War Classics [CD & Cassette] A concert by Jay & Molly sponsored by the Civil War Institute and broadcast by NPR. 13 selections including Lorena, Faded Coat of Blue, The Yellow Rose of Texas, Tenting Tonight, Dixie, Battle Hymn of the Republic, Ashokan Farewell and more - with brief spoken introductions. (Fiddle & Dance Records)

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Hear the entire "Civil War Classics" CD at dancingontheair.com

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Civil War Soundtrack [CD & Cassette] This Grammy Award winning soundtrack to the acclaimed PBS series includes Ashokan Farewell, Jacob's Ladder, Battle Cry of Freedom, Lorena and many more. (Elektra/Nonesuch)

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Harvest Home [CD only] Tour the seasons beginning with Ungar & Mason originals and traditional tunes performed in small groups (New England dance band, Cajun band, Old-Time string band, etc.) followed by The Harvest Home Suite, another take on these themes played by Jay & Molly with the Nashville Chamber Orchestra. Also included are Ungar & Mason performing Ashokan Farewell with orchestra and Bonaparte's Retreat/Hoedown, a recombination of Copland's orchestral work and the fiddle tune that inspired it. (Angel 1999)

 The story of Harvest Home (video - 5.5 minutes)

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The Lovers' Waltz [CD only] Jay & Molly's first, and most popular, duo album. It features "The Lovers' Waltz" and other originals, plus Ungar & Mason renditions of traditional and swing classics. (Angel 1997)

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Relax Your Mind [CD only] is a collection of country blues, waltzes, vintage jazz, western swing, two steps and Dixieland jams, recorded with our band Swingology. The Swingology sound evolved during years of playing together in concerts and at our Fiddle & Dance Camps at Ashokan. It's American music for today-rooted in the twenties and thirties, but played with twenty-first century sensibilities. Though these are studio recordings, the tracks preserve the spontaneity and improvisation that Swingology has become known for-a heartfelt musical conversation between good friends. With its laid-back grooves and toe-tapping melodies Relax Your Mind is destined to be the soundtrack for your day off.

 "Relax Your Mind" Performance Video of Jay & Molly with Swingology (5 minutes)

 "Home Grown Tomatoes" Performance Video of Jay & Molly with Swingology (4.5 minutes)

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Song of the Hills [CD only] - Instrumental Impressions of the Applalachian Classics with Jay Ungar, Molly Mason, Eric Weissberg, Norman Blake, Nancy Blake, John Sebastian, Bill Keith, Brian Keane, Lorraine Lee, Tony Trischka, John Doan, Peter Blue, Ken Kosek, Stacy Phillips, Alan Feldman, John Sholle, and John Whelan.

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Waltzing With You (formerly "Brother's Keeper") [CD only] "This album, the soundtrack from the movie "Brother's Keeper," absolutely stands on its own - I haven't seen the movie and I found the album deeply moving. Jay and Molly make music that is simple and overwhelming, and in writing this score, they created a work that is an apotheosis of American traditional music, sweet and dark and brooding." --Garrison Keillor (Angel 1998)

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