Jay Ungar is an American musician and composer.
Ungar was born in the Bronx (New York City), the son of immigrant parents
from Eastern Europe. He frequented Greenwich Village music venues during
his formative period, and was a member of Cat Mother and the all-night
newsboys & the Putnam String County Band. Although he has often played
with David Bromberg, he is probably best known for "Ashokan Farewell",
originally composed as a waltz which was played at his "Fiddle & Dance"
music camp, located at the SUNY New Paltz Ashokan Field Campus, which was
used as the theme tune to the Ken Burns documentary, The Civil War. Many
of his other compositions are familiar to contra dancers, notably The
Wizards' Walk.
In 1991, Ungar married fellow musician Molly Mason, whom he had first met
during the 1970s, and they continue to perform together, with their band,
Swingology, and occasionally Jay's daughter Ruth Ungar (her mother is Lyn
Hardy)
Videos not available
Jay Ungar,