Jay Ungar & Molly Mason
The Quiet Room – music to heal the heart and soothe the soul
Fiddle & Dance Records
This is a disc of music that is dear to this couple and it helped pull them through a daunting and dangerous time; Molly put the original core compilation together in 2002 (before she knew that she might need it herself.). She sent copies to many folks in need over the years. Recuperating from surgery or a medical emergency, or even just an injury that can cause a change in the daily routine, can be a very active time for both the patent and the care giver with both working hard to come back from what could become the “new normal.” Dealing with doctors, hospital personnel, pain, and other new challenges can cause deep anxiety as to outcomes. And then there’s the strong desire to make the best decisions, but with little or no prior experience or training?. It can be overwhelming and even depressing at times, yet one needs to keep a level head and maintain a positive attitude to successfully come through it all. I’ll leave it there, however the story is told fully inside the covers that hold the disc, and something that gives you a deep appreciation for the healing power of music.
It is well worth the read to get the inside story, much like the story of April and Paul Brown’s “Elders and Ancestors” – music for a healing space (recorded by Agrelia’s Castle – which is those 2 plus some friends; you can read a review http://nodepression.com/album-review/peaceful-beauty). Both of these discs were made to be healing discs, and have won great favor with medical people who want their clients to relax, such as masseuses and acupuncturists.
Who better to know the music to relax people than the musicians who are forced into inaction by medical emergencies. Both of these couples were forced to make decisions, and both will tell you, as will most people who have been on a telephone hold for some time what kind of music will quietly engage a person without inciting them. There is nothing like a medical emergency to force inaction while at the same time making the affected want to get up stirring up anticipation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kZASM8OX7s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRyMH_4PO3Y
Most of these songs were on other albums of theirs, but three are new, and a couple have been used in movies and/or TV series. Jay wrote 9 of the tunes, one is a co-write with Molly and the other four by a variety of others. Perhaps the most familiar of the tunes on here is “Ashokan Farewell,” which was originally conceived by Jay as a lament now is known as the theme for Ken Burns documentary The Civil War. We also have “Roscoe’s Waterfall,” which is from the documentary film Brother’s Keeper. These songs were put together on this one disc so that when the in-action was forced upon them there was the familiar and tried and true to lean on, to provide a safe harbor for whoever needed it. The albums provide the comfort of the sane and the introspective quiet time that was needed for healing; even for those of us who had nothing to do with the decisions to make the discs, however used them to provide a safe quiet place in which to remove and heal from our own traumas. To take the moment away from it all for tranquil reflection in a safe place that is what aids healing.
by bob gottlieb
