Have You Heard of the Summer of Soul?

For 52 years, the world forgot the 3rd annual Harlem Cultural Festival...or did they?

This is part 1 of a 2-part review of the Summer of Soul film and soundtrack.

We all know the story of Woodstock.

We knew about the couple on the soundtrack’s cover, we know who played and when. We know about the rain and the festival running late; s late they ended up with a fourth day of a three-day festival just so the headlining act could play! We know about the traffic jam and the helicopters. Bob Dylan was a rumored surprise guest; seeing as he lived just outside Woodstock at the time it wasn’t out of the question. Surprise surprise, he didn’t show. He held out on making his grand return to the stage until Isle of Wight. Not many know about the spontaneous mini-festival of local musicians that took place in back, that Jeff Beck broke up his band so he wouldn’t have to play, or that Iron Butterfly got stuck at the airport, but you know now. Just as Woodstock made Joe Cocker a superstar overnight, a lackluster showing by the Incredible String Bandjust about ended their career. We know Neil Young was weird about being filmed. And we know Sly and the Family Stone delivered one of the best sets of their career. Despite it being 4:00 in the morning on day three in the middle of a field on a farm, they brought the house down.

But what you might not know is that seven weeks before Woodstock, Sly and the Family Stone played another festival in New York. About 100 miles out from Woodstock, an annual celebration of Black art and music was held. Every Sunday afternoon that summer, a stage on 124th Street between Lenox and Park Avenue held some of the biggest names in pop, rock, funk, soul, gospel, jazz, and more. This concert series was nothing to scoff at: it drew over 300,000 people in total. That’s roughly the same amount of people that saw Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock! But after the trash was picked up, the stage was dismantled for the summer, and the film stowed away, the festival didn’t come back the next year. Or the year after that, or the year after that. Aside from a couple TV specials, the “Black Woodstock” was largely forgotten. The footage sat in a basement for decades, only thought to exist by the very few who knew of the Harlem Cultural Festival. Black Woodstock passed through many sets of hands until it arrived in the green room of the Tonight Show. After years more of production hell (no thanks to the pandemic) Questlove made his directorial debut with Summer of Soul (...or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised.) After 52 years, the 3rdannual Harlem Cultural Festival finally saw the light of day.

In order to understand Summer of Soul, we have to understand how the Harlem Cultural Festival came to be. It’s 1969, and shit is about to hit the fan.

On April 3rd, 1968, Martin Luther King was assassinated. Devastating loss for the Black community; who were still mourning the death of Malcom X. Within a whole generation of Americans still mourning President Kennedy. King’s killing triggered the Holy Week uprising; 43 people were killed and more injured in the riots. The Black community was divided: some stayed the course of nonviolence, others concluded that more radical means were needed to get some justice. In June, Bobby Kennedy was assassinated. The hopes of many voters went down the drain, and American politics spiraled into chaos and confusion. The DNC nominated a weak candidate in Kennedy’s place, Chicago blew up like a powder keg in the background, America elects a crook...now where have I seen that before?

Speaking of the ’68 DNC, in March of 1969 the Chicago 8 were indicted; including Black Panther Party co-founder Bobby Seale. The case against him was thin to begin with, he was hardly in Chicago the week of the Convention. But it doesn’t matter, COINTELPRO is on the Black Panther’s asses. And any asses who aligned themselves with the Black Panthers. (Hello White Panthers, hello Jean Seberg.) The Chicago 8 became the Chicago 7, but that’s a whole other story. Seale is embroiled in even more trouble come May with his alleged involvement in the murder of Alex Rackley. His death and the subsequent trial marked a turning point for public support of the Black Panthers. Speaking of the Panthers: in the summer of ’69 the Panther 21 were put on trial. It was New York’s longest trial to date, ending in 1971 with all defendants acquitted.

As far as the war goes, all young people have skin in the game. The draft affects them the most. The issue is magnified in the Black community: in 1965, 25% of combat deaths in Vietnam were Black men – they only represented 11% of the US population. This was lowered to just over 12% by 1967, but Black men were still more likely to be drafted and still disproportionately represented on the front lines. All these issues and more amplified in Harlem, experiencing poverty and the heroin epidemic. Something was needed to unite the masses.

Back in 1964, promoter and sometimes singer Tony Lawrence had the idea for the Harlem Cultural Festival; a series of events to bring fun to Harlem for the summer. Early iterations had carnival rides, go-karts, boxing matches, even a beauty pageant! It was backed by the parks commissioner and the mayor. By the time the 3rd annual festival rolled around, Tony wanted to focus more on music. Pop culture in the ’60s was ruled by music, and he no doubt saw how well Monterey did in ’67. New York needed a festival more than ever. With such a tense political climate, they needed a distraction to keep people from burning the city down. Darryl Lewis says as much in Summer of Soul! Authorities knew if New York went up in flames, it’d be catastrophic. Like dropping a lit match into a pool of gasoline. But if they were going to have a full-fledged 6-week music festival, it needed to be backed by the city. Since this would be a free festival, artists needed to know they’d get paid!

Enter Mayor John Lindsay. Conveniently, he’s seeking re-election and wants to ensure his standing with Black and Puerto Rican voters. What’s a part of New York that’s mostly Black and Puerto Rican? Harlem. Once again, the city backs the festival – in all areas but security. Whereas Woodstock would have police and the Hells Angels, the Harlem Cultural Festival had the Black Panthers. A little financial boost was needed to incentivize acts to play. If there’s anything to know about Tony Lawrence, he’s convincing as hell. Somehow,he got Maxwell House Coffee to fund the event! That sponsorship paid off in a big way. Though there were still a number of last-minute cancellations (what self-respecting festival doesn’t have a few of those?) big names brought historical moments to the Harlem Cultural Festival. A comedy show during the moon landing? Why not?

In interview with the National Museum of American History, Questlove said one of those filmmaker clichés. His goal was to “...let the story tell itself, and let it unfurl and bring it to the people.” No story tells itself, especially on film. There’s a whole ecosystem of people behind the scenes: directors, producers, cinematographers, editors, coordinators, set designers, engineers, and of course the stars. I want to make the same point I’ve made in all my film reviews: every documentary has an angle. No documentary is unbiased. Everyone’s got a story to tell. What story did Questlove want to tell with Summer of Soul? How did he tell it? And was he successful?

There’s one pretty big difference between Woodstock and Summer of Soul. With Woodstock, Michael Wadleigh and his guys were on the ground, in the mud, filming all this as it happened. That same team edited it and presented it to the world. Seeing as Questlove was born in 1971, he was not at the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival. This puts him in an interesting position as director: he’s come into this thing decades after the fact. That’s not to discount Questlove’s role as director in any way. Though this was his first film, I believe he was the right person for the job. He’s an author and educator at NYU, so he’s knowledgable and a natural storyteller. He’s an artist and producer, so he’s imaginative. With Summer of Soul, Questlove seeks to do two things: preserve the Harlem Cultural Festival, and tell Black history through music.

Film primarily tells stories through visuals. Even after multiple viewings I’m struck by how Summer of Soullooks. It’s so colorful! The yellow stage with its charming mid-century geometry, the costumes, the whole summer really. I didn’t realize how muddy Woodstock looked – and was – in comparison. Those kids got rained on for days straight and no one showered for at least three days.

I make clothes, of course I’m going to notice the fashion. Clothing is a reflection of history, and Summer of Soul is an amazing cross-section of Black fashion in the ’60s. Motown was still pretty traditional: note the Pips in their sharp-tailored matching suits and David Ruffin’s 1950s horn-rimmed glasses. The pre-What’s Goin On Motown style was line with the “respectability politics” of the day, see Dr. King and his associates always in shirts and ties. However nice David’s ruffled salmon shirt and bow tie are, his black wool coat and pants are baffling. My buddy my guy, this is the middle of summer! Hippie fashion is reflected in the 5thDimension’s stage garb. It’s pretty exaggerated though. Orange suede fringe, earth-toned bellbottoms, yellow balloon sleeves, and dagger collars...wearing that on a west-facing stage in the afternoon in the middle of summer sounds like my own personal hell. I couldn’t help but note the difference between Motown gal Gladys Knight (big hair and Mary Tyler Moore show outfit) vs. Nina Simone (draped yellow textiles and envy-inducing earrings.) Like the music was at a crossroads – gospel trickling into the mainstream with the Edwin Hawkins Singers’ Oh Happy Day, Afro-Caribbean sounds seeping into rock music, the birth of jazz fusion, the rebirth of Motown – fashion is at a crossroads.

This is reflected in the Harlem Cultural Festival’s audiences over its 6-week run. I can confidently say this is the best-dressed audience I’ve ever seen. We see sharkskin, windowpane-checked suits, and tilted fedoras the same as we see hair wraps and headscarves. Chic sunglasses, bright colors, the most beautiful woman you’ve ever seen in pink lipstick and a white lace veil. It looks like she skipped out on her own wedding to be here! Though we do still see some processed hairdos, for the most part the crowd is a sea of afros and dashikis. 1969 was the beginning of a decade of Black people shedding beauty standards set by white people and referencing their ancestry. I learned a lot about Afrocentrism through Summer of Soul.

No one’s fashion sense tops absolute icon Tony Lawrence. One of the highlights of the film is his fit montage. Whether ascots, dashikis, pastel suits, or flamenco-inspired neon ruffles, Tony consistently serves. Mens fashion hit its peak in the late ’60s/’70s. There were no rules! Tony plays host, emcee, lounge comedian, even preacher. He’s the thread that stitches all these seemingly disparate acts together. He’s making cracks at the Mayor, he’s introducing Jesse Jackson. He’s the life force of Summer of Soul.

As are the “talking heads,” of which there are many. Maybe too many? While the edit is razor-sharp, Summer of Soul never loses its steam, it should have favored music over commentary. This edit with this run time couldn’t let performances breathe like they should. The two-hour run time not used to greatest effect – I’m really not sure we needed to hear about Stevie Wonder from Oscars slapee Chris Rock. As much as us Zoomers dunk on Lin-Manuel Miranda for being cringey, it was good to have a modern “New Yorican” talking about the original “New Yorican” Ray Barretto. Modern features like this connect the Harlem Cultural Festival’s history to contemporary history.

My personal favorite interviewees were Charlayne Hunter-Gault and Musa Jackson. Charlayne was one of two students to integrate the University of Georgia and the first NYT journalist to use the term “Black” in an article. Her story brings Nina’s “To Be Young, Gifted, and Black” to life. Though it may not have been that record specifically, Charlayne used Nina’s albums to power her through the unimaginably isolating experience of being the first and only Black girl at a school full of people praying on your downfall. If us viewers didn’t have a face and a story to associate with “Young Gifted and Black,” we do now.

Musa is the talking head we hear from the most; the second star of the film alongside Tony. The film both starts and ends with him. Musa was only arou nd five years old when he attended the Harlem Cultural Festival. It’s one of his earliest memories. He remembers owning a dashiki, his mom selling chicken beer and balloons outside the park, being transfixed by his first crush, Marilyn McCoo. He was just a kid experiencing this historical moment. This is reflected in Summer of Soul’s beautiful opening sequence.

We see a man in his late fifties, sat in front of a screen we can’t see. A voice offscreen asks him, “So, do you remember the Harlem Cultural Festival?” Whatever Musa sees, he’s absolutely transfixed. You can see the childlike wonder in his eyes. The viewer hears the hum of the crowd. The summer afternoon is glowing and hazy, like a dream world. The scene slowly comes into focus. An unseen emcee making the obligatory lost wallet announcement. “There is a lost wallet! Anne Reynolds, Anne Reynolds, your wallet is over here!” A sound check. Instructions to an unseen engineer. The guy with Tony’s cue cards – once I realized what these were, I laughed out loud! Soon, the viewer is transfixed too. Not by the sheer star power of the festival, we haven’t seen that yet. We’re enchanted by how...normal...all this is. It’s like the county fair we went to as kids, sat on our dad’s shoulders with a melting snow cone in our hand.

I grew up in – quite frankly – rural-ass America. I only heard fleeting mentions of Malcom X in school, and always in relation to Dr. King. I didn’t study Gil Scott-Heron until college. I taught myself about the Black Panthers after college. Summer of Soul spotlights nuggets of Black history we weren’t taught in school.

The audience booing the moon landing was so damn funny. Even Questlove was like, “Why are they booing the moon?” Because, according to the concert attendees, the government could’ve used those resources to improve conditions in their own backyard. It’s remarkable how similar these issues are to the ones we face today. Hello Elon Musk and his weird obsession with going to Mars!

Through gospel music, Summer of Soul illuminates Black people’s relationship to Christianity. The church is Black culture: dressing in your Sunday best, gospel music, dance as part of worship and possession by the Holy Spirit. Jesus looked out for society’s “others” and church is – or, at least, is supposed to be a place – where there are no “others.” Belief in a higher power is uniquely human. Considering the horrors Black history is marked by, belief in God and the structure of church is a therapy. As Al Sharpton said, “We didn’t know anything about therapists, but we knew Mahalia Jackson.” Mahalia and Mavis tearing up Precious Lord Take My Hand is a highlight for sure. With the edit, it underscores the gravity of King’s assassination. According to Questlove, this scene was very nearly the “Hollywood ending.” But I have to admit, since I didn’t grow up in the church, I missed a lot of the gravity the gospel section had. The standout performance for this viewer was the 5th Dimension performing their medley from Hair.

I know what you’re thinking. “Why would corny choreography, ugly orange vests, and woo-woo lyrics about the moon in the seventh house move you to tears?”

Because Summer of Soul shows how the Fifth Dimension believed in this song so earnestly. The age of Aquarius is now. Pluto moved into Aquarius in November, it’ll stay there for the next 30-some-odd years. It’s like the flying cars thing, right? How could a time so many people had such high hopes for turn out so rotten, corrupt, and doomed? To a modern viewer, it’s kinda devastating. It’s why I get so fucked up at the janitor scene in Woodstock. Age of Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In is an unexpected burst of real life in a dream. The hopes of a whole generation were let down. The desperation I’ve always heard in “Sunshine” was in an instant magnified. I didn’t expect to cry, but I did.

Do I think Summer of Soul answers the question of why the Harlem Cultural Festival was forgotten? Not really. That’s one of the film’s greatest pitfalls. I’m not doubting Black erasure at all. It’s happening right now in front of our very eyes. As of me filming this, Google just removed Black History Month from their calendar. And for why? “Not sustainable,” storage space my ass! But I really wish Summer of Soul delved more into Black erasure as it pertains to the Harlem Cultural Festival. No more than one minute of run time was devoted to the issue. The whole thing was written off as “no one would buy the footage” and “the powers that be” “not wanting it remembered.” As a viewer who is now invested – any successful film gets its audience invested in its story – this is a letdown. The original cut of this film was over three hours. You’re telling me we couldn’t have gotten another two or three minutes for this?

Given the details Summer of Soul presents, we can easier deduce why cinematographer Hal Tulchin had such trouble selling the “Black Woodstock” film. It’s because they didn’t have more acts that appealed to white people. It’s the unfortunate reality of a music industry that was still largely a., segregated, and b., geared towards the buying habits of white people. The Harlem Cultural Festival was for Black people, by Black people...and Mayor John Lindsay. John’s like the Mark in this situation. Harlem rocked with Mark because he rocked with them! The 5th Dimension and Sly were exceptions, not the rule. Aside from them, the Harlem Cultural Festival didn’t have “crossover appeal” as far as 1969 industry standards were concerned. Had they had say Jimi Hendrix on the bill, Hal would’ve had no problem selling.

Did Summer of Soul come up short in balancing the story and investigating erasure? Yes. But did it fulfill its main objective of telling Black history through people and music? Absolutely. Before moving onto part two of this review, I want to make note of the subtitle: ...or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised. It references Gil-Scott Heron’s iconic piece of the same name; which in part calls out the “bread-and-circuses” tactic. This was recently catapulted back into mainstream pop culture by Kendrick Lamar, in his performance at America’s ultimate “bread-and-circus” event. “The revolution boutta be televised/You picked the right time, but the wrong guy…”

End of Part 1

Watch the full film and sountrack review above!