The Minstrel celebrates its 40th birthday July 24

The Minstrel, the weekly concert series, frequently presents lesser-known musicians. But the line-up for tonight’s show would set even the savviest music aficionado scratching his or her head.

That is because all of the performers who will take the stage of the Morristown Unitarian Fellowship this Friday are members of the Folk Project, the Morristown-based nonprofit organization that sponsors the Minstrel.

The 40 or so musicians will perform in groups of two or three for sets that will run less than seven minutes.

To make the event more spontaneous, the partnering was decided randomly at the Folk Project’s July 4th picnic. The performers have had only three weeks to choose and rehearse their six-minute set.

Is this any way to celebrate a birthday? It certainly is, according to Mike Agranoff of Boonton Township, the program chair of the Minstrel.

Agranoff admits the format sounds like it has the potential for catastrophe. Some of the people may have never met, let alone performed, with their collaborators.

“You may have vastly different levels of ability, different instrumentations,” says Agranoff, who plans to perform two numbers during the show. “But for the most part, it works remarkably well.”

For the past few years, Agranoff has used this format to celebrate the birthday of the Minstrel. This year’s concert is particularly auspicious; it will mark the 40th anniversary of the concert series.

The first concert was held on July 25, 1975, in the basement of a now-defunct French restaurant in Chester. (By coincidence, that date was also Agranoff’s 30th birthday.) The sponsor was Project 21, a group of musicians and music fans.

For the first two years, the concert series was organized by Laurie Brownscombe Riley. The performances were held under the name “Good Though,” after a risqué shaggy-dog story told by the folk singer Utah Phillips.

Within two years, Project 21 had morphed into the Folk Project, and Agranoff had become the program chair for the concert series. “Laurie left, and I took over,” he says. “I figured I’d do this for a little while.” (That was 38 years ago.)

In those years, the concerts were held in various venues in Morris and Somerset Counties before moving to the Morristown Unitarian Fellowship in 2005. “It’s the most gorgeous spot,” Agranoff says. “It has 200 seats, and the acoustics are great.”

The series has changed its name over the years. In 1976, it became the Minstrel Show, after a song by Bob Coltman called “Before They Close the Minstrel Show.”

“Some time in the 1990s, it was pointed out that ‘minstrel show’ connotes blackface,” Agranoff says. The name was adjusted to Minstrel Coffeehouse.

“We dropped ‘Coffeehouse’ a few years ago, so people wouldn’t think we’re a Starbucks,” Agranoff says with a laugh.

Agranoff may joke, but he takes his role as program chair seriously. The Minstrel has presented a host of respected performers, not only from the folk world, but also in such genres as blues, jazz, world music, and cabaret.

Artists such as John Gorka, Christine Lavin, Julie Gold, Bill Staines, Lucy Kaplansky, Richard Shindell, and members of the Roche and Wainwright families are among the performers who have appeared.

For the Minstrel’s 40th anniversary, the Folk Project is sponsoring a second show on Saturday, July 25, at the Presbyterian Church of Chatham (home of another well-regarded performance series, the Sanctuary Concerts).

Headlining the Saturday show will be the veteran singer-songwriter Tom Paxton, currently on his final U.S. tour. Agranoff – along with two other Folk Project artists, Jean Rohe and Christine DeLeon – will serve as the opening act.

The July 25 show is already sold out, but Agranoff hopes that the July 24 show will attract an audience. He argues that Minstrel represents the Folk Project at its best.

Arganoff adds one more incentive for attending the Friday show. “There will be birthday cake,” he says.

THE MINSTREL’S 40TH BIRTHDAY CONCERT

WHAT: Members of the Folk Project will perform in various combinations that were selected at random at the organization’s Fourth of July picnic.

WHEN: 8 tonight

WHERE: Morristown Unitarian Fellowship, 21 Normandy Heights Rd., Morristown TICKETS: $10 admission includes refreshments and birthday cake

INFORMATION: 973-335-9489 or www.folkproject.org