SUMMER OF SOUL (…OR, WHEN THE REVOLUTION COULD NOT BE TELEVISED) – Review

The big Summer holiday weekend is finally upon us, so it’s getaway time. Ah, but what if you’re still a bit leery of travel, what with that “variant’ sweeping through several states? Well, there’s always the movies, though that loud, dim-witted auto-atrocity is still taking up a lot of multiplex space. This new release offers another type of getaway, one of location and time. It can be a bit confusing, but this feature is somehow old and new. And we won’t need Doc Brown’s DeLorean to immerse ourselves in the ozone of long ago NYC, 52 years ago to be exact. That sizzling Summer was the time of the Harlem Cultural Festival, spread out over several Sundays. Iconic pop culture entertainers (mostly musicians, though some comedians were squeezed in) performed before delighted audiences (up to 300,000 strong) for free. Unfortunately, another music fest, about a hundred miles away in upstate New York, got all the media attention. Luckily it was all recorded, and after spending over half a century in a basement, we can finally experience that sensational SUMMER OF SOUL (…OR, WHEN THE REVOLUTION COULD NOT BE TELEVISED).

The doc begins quietly as we meet one of the greying concertgoers, then a grade-schooler, who attended the festival, but is concerned that his memories may be faulty. It’s then that the director shows him some of that long-forgotten footage. And it all comes back to him. We’re given a quick history lesson then, outlining the origins of the event. The “Big Apple’ was still cooling down over an even hotter previous Summer when the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. triggered many nights of rioting and destruction. Then mayor John Lindsey tapped a slick, smooth DJ and nightclub singer Tony Lawrence (his many wild fashion choices could warrant its own film) to organize a festival that would bring the Harlem community together and promote the politics of black pride. Lawrence even got a corporate sponsor, General Foods whose Maxwell House Coffee was always near the stage, to help foot the bill to bring an amazing array of entertainers to Mount Morris Park over many Sunday afternoons. The footage then puts us right in the center of the throngs as one incredible performer follows another. Stevie Wonder performs a rousing solo on the drums (not just a keyboard/harmonica guy). Then B.B. King makes his blues guitar talk. Current pop tunes are represented by the white-hot, chart climbers, The 5th Dimension, splendid in their glowing yellow/orange outfits and sounding so, so sweet. A near-teenaged Gladys Night (looking like she’s off to the big senior social) sings about that “grapevine”, getting perfect support from her perfect “Pips”, dapper in their turtleneck-topped suits, executing intricate dance moves, and always making it back to the microphone in the nick of time (and not “conking’ heads). Older pop is represented by former Temptation, now solo artist, David Ruffin (not sweating a bit in his fur-collared black tux). Different music styles were showcased in different editions. For gospel, there’s the Edwin Hawkins Singers with their current hit “Oh, Happy Day”, just before Mahalia Jackson captures the audience with a heavenly hymn. Then a bit of blues is thrown in by the Staple Singers (Pops’ guitar riffs surprised one of his daughters). And then the crowds get a Latin/Salsa day with the furious congo skills of Mongo Santamaria and Ray Barretto. Later, those 1969 music lovers get a glimpse into the future of funk/pop with the fabulous Sly (looking like an alien aviator) and the Family Stone. Wrapping up the doc’s fest-footage is a mesmerizing performance by jazz diva Nina Simone who captures the huge crowd in the palm of her hand (as though she was the ultra-cool teacher that the audience/class adores and admires). Soon, we’re back to the original spectator, who delights in saying that he’s not “crazy”, he didn’t dream it. That time happened and he revels in reliving it. And we’re right there with him.

So just who is the master filmmaker behind this impressive feature film? Well, it’s his first (after a few shorts), and you’re probably used to seeing him on camera…about five times a week. I’m referring to Ahmir Thompson, perhaps better known as “Questlove” the frontman for the “Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” house band, The Roots. It’s to everyone’s good fortune, that he was determined (perhaps his own “quest of love”) this footage (which we see on their decades-long shelf home, labels faded and peeling off of massive video cases) be seen on the big screen. That it was just as important as that other filmed concert of 1969, WOODSTOCK. Oddly, the original HCF helmer tried to sell the film to studios as “Black Woodstock”, but got zero takers. It would be more than enough just viewing these performances, but Thompson goes the extra mile in framing the songs with a bit of history utilizing rarely seen archival footage along with TV news reports. For the gospel section, we get an overview of the black communities church services and singers. With the Latin numbers, we’re told of the residents of East Harlem or “Spanish Harlem”, told by Lin-Manuel Miranda (he’s everywhere) and his pop. There’s lots of time devoted to that other big Summer event, the moon landing. Though it was touched on in FIRST MAN, it’s surprising to see the “man in the street” interviews with Harlem-ites, many of whom believed that the money sent to NASA would have been better used to feed kids and create affordable housing in their community (a certain Mr. Foxx even chimes in with a joke or two). A lot of the credit for these sequences must go to the film’s skilled editor Joshua L. Pearson. I’m guessing he also was instrumental in putting together the “present-day” interviews scattered throughout the runtime. We hear from a few more audience members and a surprising number of the on-stage talent. The 5th Dimension’s Marilyn McCoo is visibly moved by the footage, sitting with hubby Billy Davis, Jr. Gladys Night offers some great stories (she and the Pips rehearsed in a basement), as does Stevie Wonder, who knew that the Fest was a career-changer, losing the “Little” from his stage persona and going in new directions (Chris Rock chimes in about this). Then there are the political figures, like the Reverends Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, who discuss how “black” replaced “negro” in the culture and media (a newspaper reporter clashed with her editors on this). Happily, none of the footage has faded with age, so the flamboyant fashions burst with color, almost “popping” off the screen. It all adds to what Thompson has referred to as “black joy”. I’m guessing all ages and races will feel much of that joy taking a trip back to a faraway time that feels so alive, full of infectious energy and celebration. Like those original Sunday shows, the superb SUMMER OF SOUL (…OR, WHEN THE REVOLUTION COULD NOT BE TELEVISED) is also cause for rejoicing and adoration. What a time. What wonderful timeless entertainment.

4 out of 4

SUMMER OF SOUL (…OR, WHEN THE REVOLUTION COULD NOT BE TELEVISED) is now playing in select theatres and starts streaming exclusively on Hulu Friday, July 2, 2021.