Cross Over The River: A Confederate Collection by Jed Marum

Cross Over the River

Release August 2006 Cat No. BRR062

By Jed Marum on Boston Road Records

"Marum gives us history in song and music that is every bit as powerful and awe-inspiring as the television series Civil War. He has a wonderful facility for taking these stories of the ordinary people and the big events and making them real. His use of personal papers and poetry from the period is exceptional. He never forgets his Irish roots or the often underestimated contribution of the Irish to that conflict."

"The album opens with ‘Monaghan’s Lament’ about an Irish born colonel from New Orleans. Most of us only know William Quantrill from the film about his raiders. On the track ‘One Bloody Friday’ we hear a fictional view of the Lawrence Massacre as he might have delivered it. Marum uses the traditional music of the period to great effect by adding extra verses to elucidate the story. This is particularly effective ‘Shenandoah’. He gives us a spirited rendition of ‘Cindy’ a song of the period that is rather poignant as we remember that in the midst of war such popular ditties were composed and sung and people tried to live ordinary lives. He includes a new song in a similar vein ‘Come Back Katy’ to reinforce this message of the non-fighting periods of the war. Getting back to the war he uses the dying words of Stonewall Jackson as the chorus on a wonderful track, ‘Cross Over the River’. You can almost taste the powder in the air and see the tranquil scene after a battle with still water and mist. In the best tradition of folk music he sets his lyrics to familiar tunes for great effect on Buckland Races’. The tune used is ‘Tramp, Tramp, Tramp’ but Irish listeners will recognise another song. Marum includes one of the great songs of that or any period as his penultimate track. Foster’s ‘Hard Times’ must be one of the most recorded songs of all time but I never tire of hearing it. For me the best track on offer here is ‘After the Dance’. Here he paints a wonderful picture of the hall after the dancers leave and fiddle strings cease to vibrate and reminds us that life goes on."

(c) Nicky Rossiter, 7-Sep-2006

REVIEW 2

From a review in SingOut! Music magazine:

"Jed Marum is a Texas songwriter who specializes in Celtic music with strong American traditional influences. His real strength lies in historical storytelling as he takes events of the Civil War and tales of the Irish-American combatants and sets them to newly penned tunes or well known folk melodies. The subtitle of CROSS OVER THE RIVER is A CONFEDERATE COLLECTION and most the selections have a decidedly Rebel point of view."

"Anyone who is interested in Civil War history or who simply enjoys great songs performed well will most certainly find plenty of each on Jed Marum’s Cross Over the River."

– TD © SingOut!, Spring 2007 – Vol. 51 #1

BRIEF JED MARUM BIO

Jed Marum's list of albums on Boston Road Records play regularly on Folk/Bluegrass and Celtic radio programs around the world. They are distributed widely on all the major MP3 services. Jed brings his music to festival, club and concert venues throughout the US with over 150 shows each year. His 2007 touring plans include festival and concert dates in Canada and Mexico.

Jed's musical style is American Celtic with strong Bluegrass roots. His many original songs focus on the stories of family and immigrant ancestors. His albums also include traditional songs and a few contemporary songs from other writers. Jed has a keen interest in history and the passing of culture from generation to generation. Those interests are reflected in his song writing and song selection.

YOUTUBE

There are a few short video clips available at Youtube.com if you search on Jed Marum you'll find them.

Average Customer Review: