Summer of Soul

The poster for American Graffiti asked its audience "where were you in '62?" 

That's easy.

 I wasn't there for '62, or '69, when Woodstock was a thing. That lasted a weekend in August and led to an Oscar-winning documentary. The Harlem Cultural Festival lasted throughout the Dog Days of Summer. But that barely got any attention.  The documentary Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) will chronicle those days.

Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson chronicles the festival's place in history. It was created as an outlet to celebrate African American culture after a decade of turmoil. It was something positive a year after MLK and RFK were murdered. "It was like seeing royalty," says Musa Jackson, the first interviewee, about the many black festivalgoers. Music Royalty such as Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, BB King, Nina Simone, the 5th Dimension, and many more, reigned on stage. 

Hal Tulchin filmed forty hours of footage that barely anyone wanted. Still, he wanted someone to broadcast them. They sat in his basement for nearly fifty years. While Questlove couldn't show it all in one movie, he and his editor, Joshua L. Pearson compiled it into a compelling 117-minute film. Jackson and his fellow interviewees tell us how the festival was important to them. They're astounded to see the archival footage for the first time. Chances are, you will be too.

One of the best anecdotes comes from Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. of The 5th Dimension. They tell us of how they impressed the producers of Hair, who let them see the show for free and let them record its signature medley, Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In. It's a delightful stroke of luck. They tell us how the festival helped the band prove to the festivalgoers they were as black as them.

Journalist Charlayne Hunter-Gault is another memorable interviewee. One of the first black students at the University of Georgia, her white classmates weren't that welcoming. She got through it with the music of Nina Simone. She tells us how, as a New York Times journalist, she got the paper to substitute "Negro" for "Black." The festival helped see herself as, to quote Simone, "young, gifted and black." It's a compelling personal story.

Where to begin with the concert footage? A lot of effort was made to make it look and sound pristine. It's the next best thing to being there in '69. It's astounding to see many a familiar face in their youthful prime. It's just as incredible to hear them perform. The soundtrack is sure to get your feet tapping. It's a dream setlist for fans of soul, jazz, R'N'B and more.

Summer of Soul gives an important cultural event its day in the sun. You'll understand its place in history in no time at all. You'll be shocked that it hasn't been extensively chronicled before. But rest assured. Fifty-One years after Michael Wadleigh won an Oscar for documenting Woodstock, Questlove will most certainly do the same for chronicling the event dubbed "Black Woodstock." It's that great a documentary. You can either stream it on Disney + (like I did) or Hulu now. Either one is a good option.