Birthed from the very beginnings of American Gospel music, The Fisk Jubilee Singers are pioneers in bringing Gospel music to the masses.

From their first foray into concert territory in 1871 (to raise finances in support of the fledgling Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee), to subsequent acclaim throughout the United States through to mass appeal resulting from the extensive touring of Europe in mid 1870’s, the group has continued into the twentieth century with multiple recordings and continuing excellence.

Now in the new millenium, The Fisk Jubilee Singers, under the direction of Paul T. Kwami, have released an incredibly rich, multi-media package titled In Bright Mansions, on Curb Records.

The enhanced CD is a live studio recording of 18 acappella spirituals, a stunning collection comprised of historical spirituals that convey the essence of the beauty and the Truth as found in scripture, and a source of encouragement and hope throughout ages.

Credit Kwami for allowing the seventeen voices to blend together in unity of spirit and sound, but also to retain their individual textures and color, something which is often heard throughout the album. The vocal style (both choir and solo), is unaffected, with a clear, heart-felt soulfulness.

Throughout the project, producer Wesley A. Bulla captures the essence of the group’s sound, with minimal editing. Recorded at Nashville’s famed Ocean Way Studio, the album showcases the singers’

Dark Midnight When I Rise

The story of The Fisk Jubilee Singers is told briefly in the In Bright Mansions album liner notes by noted author Andrew Ward. In 2000, Ward wrote the novel Dark Midnight When I Rise: The Story of the Fisk Jubilee Singers (published by Farrar Straus & Giroux). Throughout the 28 chapters, Ward tells the detailed story of the singing group, recounting their hardships, triumphs and accomplishments. Based on an exhaustive research of archives, Ward injects a warmth of character to his work, adding plausible accounts to documented fact.

ability to deftly move from unison to four-part harmony and back, to progress from nearly-whispered vocals to the thunderous joy of full power, and to alternate between the variety of soloists from within choir ranks.

Favorites such as “Were You There” and “Down By The Riverside” come alive. “I’m Gonna Sing Till The Spirit Moves” is particularly moving. The choir uses a Moses Hogan arrangement of the song, with a tenor lead backed by choir response.

Lesser known but equally poignant spirituals (“Lord I’m Out Here On Your Word”, “Daniel, Daniel, Servant of the Lord”, “Hold On”) are given ample coverage as well.

Making the audio highlight reel are “Soon-Ah Will Be Done” (using William Dawson’s popular arrangement) and the title track, “Bright Mansions”.

Director Kwami also presents his own able arrangements of “Wade In The Water” and “Nobody Knows The Trouble I See”.

The visual components of In Bright Mansions are just as brilliantly conceived, starting with the more than 30 pages of lovingly-assembled liner notes.

Formatted to appear like a small hard-cover book, it combines historical notes, archival photos, detailed production notes and credits and written contributions from Kwami and producer Bulla. You can spend hours pouring over them.

The enhanced CD itself contains a hefty visual package complete with hundreds of labelled photos both from the archives of The Fisk Jubilee Singers and from the actual recording of the album.

If there was ever such a thing as a Collector’s Edition, then this would be it.