Ken burn's "the war"

[Mattg]

I’ve been watching The War on PBS these last few weeks and have gotten glimpses of some mandolin music and decided to go find it. The tune that was catching my ear was “In the Nick of Time” Yo-Yo Ma, Edger Mayer, Sam Bush, Mike Marshall, Joshua Bell. #It was the chop that got my attention. Found the whole song and it is great.

How many of you learned Ashokan Farewell cause of Ken Burns (The Civil War)? I did.

[AlanN]

And Sam covered a great Civil War tune on his Late As Usual.

[Chris Biorkman]

I noticed that too. Great series.

[John Flynn]

I love Ashokan Farewell and I have learned it, and learned a harmony for it. But I learned it from Curtis Buckhannon and did not associate it with Burns' Civil War documentary until later. While it is a great tune, I think it was unfortunate that Burns chose a modern tune when there were so many great Civil War period tunes he could have used.

[250sc]

“In the Nick of Time” Yo-Yo Ma, Edger Mayer, Sam Bush, Mike Marshall, Joshua Bell.

Too bad they couldn't find any heavy hitters. ;-)

[250sc]

"While it is a great tune, I think it was unfortunate that Burns chose a modern tune when there were so many great Civil War period tunes he could have used."

If you wrote it you might feel differently about the song choice. The royalties must be amazing. This song is the Stairway to Heaven of fiddle tunes.

[Michael Gowell]

I thought the use of 'Ashoken Fairwell' in the Civil War series provided a uniting motif to that series. #That plus the overwhelming use of historical B&W photos produced a powerful artistic statement.

The current WWII series has a mix of visual sources - both B&W and color movie film as well as stills. #The music is much more diverse. Those factors, and its storytelling ambition, have resulted in a pretty fair documentary but not a work of art like 'The Civil War'

One thing that bugs me is Burns' multiple uses of the same shots - one (of many) shots will be used in the description of Battle A, then a half-hour later the same shot appears over the description of Battle B.

[John Flynn]

If you wrote it you might feel differently about the song choice. The royalties must be amazing. This song is the Stairway to Heaven of fiddle tunes.
Well of course I would feel differently in that case, but unless one of us is Jay Ungar, (and I'm not!) that is pretty much irrelevant. Also "Stairway to Heaven" is a pretty off-the-mark analogy to an argument about historical old-time fiddle tunes being used in a Civil War documentary. You might as well have said "Freebird." It would have made as much sense. Royalties are not what old-time, or history, is about.

[Chris Baird]

I have to admit that using a modern tune didn't quite resonate with me. But, I suppose only a very small number of those watching the documentery would know that Ashoken Farewell wasn't a cival war song.... which may be a feather in Jay Ungar's cap.

[JEStanek]

I'm also enjoying the occasional episode of The War my / my kids schedule lets me see. I really like the mandolin piece too. What I like best about the documentary is the fact it isn't a historical piece explaining the battles, rather it is all first person accounts. If you also liked that style, read some of Studds Turkel's works.

I have to admit, Jay Ungar's Ashoken Farewell is one of my favorite tunes to play. The fact it worked so well in evoking a feeling for that documentarty is a feather in Jay's and Ken's hats. The soundtracks to the War are pretty darn good.

Jamie

[LKN2MYIS]

I'm a big fan of "Ashokan Farewell" myself. In the Civil War series, I quite honestly didn't and wonder what was 'in period' and what wasn't. I'm in Jamie's corner on this one.

To the credit of Jay Ungar, the tune, IMHO, fit perfectly. It expressed an era and feeling that, for me at least, worked incredibly well.

I would think that for any non-mandoplayers watching the series, it was very appropriate. Good series, good tune.

[TonyP]

I have to agree with Jamie, while there may be some "real" fiddle tunes, I personally don't know of any that fit so perfectly the mood.

Another PBS series that had a lot of mando and fiddle tunes was the one where they re created cowboy cattle ranching. Don't remember the name as I just caught it every once in a while, not being a steady tv watcher. Sounded like some of the usual suspects of bluegrass and acoustic music. But never looked into it.

[johnwalser]

On another episode of "The War", I heard Bing Crosby singing "It's been a long, long time" and the unmistakable sound of Les Paul playing guitar. I started pickin' out that great little tune on my mandolin almost immediately.
John

[Marcus CA]

"In the Nick of Time" and a couple of the other tunes in The War were off of the Short Trip Home album from a few years ago. My favorite tune on that album, despite the mandoabsence, is "Death by Triple Fiddle" --- with Bell, Bush, and Marshall tearing it up on fiddle while Edgar holds down the low end.

[woodwizard]

Ashokan Farewell may be a new tune but it sure fit Ken Burns Civil War. Some guys have the ability to write songs/tunes that sound over a 100 years old. Jay Unger and Norman Blake are two guys for example that sure do a good job of it. IMHO

[Elliot Luber]

Burns goes on and on in The Civil War about how Dixie was Lincoln's favorite song, but that would probably have led to the use of banjo instead of fiddle. Unger's piece was an extraordinary fit IMHO, but many people now think it's authentic to the period. It's always the same for editors and journalists (this is not political, as I've been both) never let the facts get in the way of a good story. :-)

[ben_wv]

I think it's appropriate to score new music for a period documentary. #The art created by the director, the film itself, is original, and the director is looking for something original to musically describe and enhance it. #That score should reference and incorporate its subject, not only reiterate it, IMO.

Sometimes the score bombs and detracts from the film. #Sometimes it's great and helps the film along. #Sometimes it's Ashokan Farewell, and we have a new, fuller definition of the subject because of it.

Ken Burns' scores are great because he uses both original material and period music. #Along with the songs from the hit parade (I instantly started to play "it's been a long, long time", too), The War was scored by Winton Marsalis. #Home Run to these ears.

[Andrew Faltesek]

Although Ashokan Farewell is a modern lament, it sure sounded like a civil war era tune, and was a great device for transitions, closures, and thematic continuity in the film. My daughter plays it on the violin and I just have to ask her to teach it to me...what a great tune.

[stevem]

Burns' Lewis and Clark is also excellent. It seems that half of the tracks use mandolins--some truly beautiful music. Excellent documentary as well.