BRIGHT MORNING STAR toured North America from 1978 - 1990 mixing folk, country, blues, jazz and a good dose of theatre. Almost 20 years later they're back, re-grouped with 2 decades of individual performance experience under their collective belt, livelier and more astute then ever. Their backgrounds range from classical music to rock and roll, from folk to top 40, from symphony orchestra to avant-garde theater. They combine their musical and theatrical skills in a journey through the worlds of drama, politics, people, humor, satire, and spirituality.
They've energized their repertoire with new material while holding onto classics just old enough to sound brand new (given recurring social and political realities). Their songs are a rare combination of powerful, often original lyrics and rich melodies that shine in intricate harmonies - often a cappella or 6 voice and piano - and artfully, dancingly interpreted by American Sign Language interpreter Laura Kolb. In the course of a concert, they pass around guitars, fiddle, bass, banjo, harmonica, recorder, trombone, piano and the occasional kazoo. Their cabaret style adds a comic irony to traditional songs and a surprising depth to contemporary pieces. Lyrical, fun, dramatic and incendiary - this is a show not to be missed!
Bright Morning Star is COURT DORSEY, CHERYL FOX, GEORGE FULGINITI-SHAKAR, KEN GILES, CHARLIE KING, MARCIA TAYLOR and LAURA KOLB
QUOTABLE QUOTES
"Bright Morning Star reunites to bring harmony and spirit to community
in a time when it is most desperately needed. Cabaret style fun
mixed with truth telling folk and a bit of the romantic on the side.
So glad they are doing the long awaited return engagement!"
-Holly Near (2008)
"Bright Morning Star…incorporates comedy and theatrical horseplay into its performances…creating the sense of a diverse open-hearted community and then inviting the audience to share the warmth."
-Stephen Holden, New York Times (September 26, 1989)
"The vocals sound more like choral arrangements for a cabaret than sing-outs for a hootenanny…The comic material benefits from the snappy pacing and bright dynamics of cabaret. Similarly, the singalong tunes get a rousing send-off from the Broadway belt-it-out delivery."
-Geoffrey Himes, The Washington Post (April 6, 1984)
"Their special blend of humor, sensitivity and down-right danceable bluegrass is enough to turn an embittered punk into an optimistic young folkie…Their rich voices expertly combine sincere lyrics with excellent guitar-picking, banjo plucking, harp wailing and fiddling. This is truly art and politics in a rare and satisfying blend."
-Bob Sanders, Community (Philadelphia, PA 1981)
"It’s wonderful to see the spontaneous dancing erupt as Bright Morning Star sings and plays."
-The Village Voice (August 1980)
"They’re doing exactly what Woody Guthrie and I tried to do forty years ago."
-Pete Seeger (1979)
(To download the press release and quotations above in a Word file: Click here.)