So it came as little surprise when the NYPD refused to provide security for the festival. Ethel Beaty-Barnes, then an 18-year-old fresh from her high-school graduation, still remembers what she wore to the Sly & The Family Stone concert in Harlem in 1969: a floral halter top and . The 1960s were undoubtedly a turbulent yet pivotal decade for Black people. Co-sponsored by the New York City Parks Department and Maxwell House, the General Foods subsidiary, that years festival consisted of six free Sunday afternoon concerts held between June 29 and August 24. The multiculturalism displayed throughout this film deliberately juxtaposes the unifying values of Pan-Africanism against the oppressive values of white supremacy. SHARES. You are now being logged in using your Facebook credentials. The music scene of the late sixties and early seventies was a zenith for these styles, and African Americans were a vital part of it all. To tell the story of the 3rd Harlem Cultural Festival, Questlove intersperses brilliant performance footage with a mosaic of talking heads. Mayor John Lindsay with the gospel singer Mahalia Jackson outside her dressing room. Some of the headliners included B.B. "The fact that 40 hours of footage was kept from the public," he says, "is living proof that revisionist history exists. The 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival's success speaks to how this specific time is a significant snapshot of Black history. Opens in new tab Opens in new tab Opens in new tab. Now Playing Utah is a charitable service that showcases transformative cultural experiences across Utah. In the film, viewers are introduced to the event's promoter and organiser, Tony Lawrence. hide caption. But now you've got an education. Prior to this documentary, a lot of people didnt know it existed, as the video footage lived in archives. Financially, the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival was co-sponsored by the City of New York and the Maxwell House coffee company. Nina Simone, whose presence is so beautiful, confident, and strong, performs the razor-edged, politically charged Backlash Blues (lyrics by Langston Hughes), To Be Young, Gifted, and Black, and the David Nelson poem Are You Ready, Black People?. King, the avant-garde jazz activists Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach, the South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela, the groovy black pop ambassadors The 5th Dimension, the Motown up-and-comers Gladys Knight and the Pips and the youthful Stevie Wonder. A vibrant cross-section of city folk brothers in dashikis (like Jesse Jackson, who spoke at one of the concerts), young sisters in smart shifts and older ones in church hats, men in fedoras and well-pressed, button-up shirts all listened with a combination of focus and ease. It continued to grow over three summers, becoming a place for black music, culture, and politics. With the success of the Festival, Lawrence planned to bring it across the country. We enjoy it together at concerts and sporting events. The footage shows seas of some 100,000 Black attendees whose dress and manner blend a Fourth of July picnic, a Sunday Best church revival, an urban rock concert and a rural civil rights rally. Al Sharpton in "Summer of Soul," a documentary about the Harlem Cultural Festival, a music extravaganza that took place over six weeks at the . With the Caribbean singer Tony Lawrence at its helm, the festival was a sustained, communal activity and cultural interaction where enterprising street vendors got what The New York Times referred to as their legitimate hustle on. The 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival featured some of the most popular acts in the United States. For specifics about any event please see contact info provided with event listing or contact the host organization directly. Non-violent and legislative attempts to dismantle institutionalized racism had led to a devastating series of political assassinations during the 1960s, most attributed to arcane conspiracy theories. Jesse Jackson spoke, and Nina Simone read a black nationalist poem by David Nelson, which contrasted with the tones of Jesse Jacksons speech. The Harlem Festival of Culture will host a yearlong series of events leading up to the multi-day 2023 festival. Excerpts from the TV producer Hal Tulchins 40 hours of footage of the 1969 festival (which remain largely unseen) show a reverential crowd, keeping time with Nina Simone, the High Priestess of Soul, as she opened her four-song set on Aug. 17 with a new single, Revolution. It was a country-meets-Tin Pan Alley protest jam informing white folks that The only way that we can stand in fact/Is when you get your foot off our back bluntly capturing the sentiment of the moment. King Cal Tjader Chuck Jackson David Ruffin Edwin Hawkins Singers George Kirby Gladys Knight and The Pips Oscar, Grammy, and Peabody award-winning documentary Summer of Soul (Or When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) has sparked a reimagining of the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, which the film explores. With this initiative, we want to create something that evokes that same sense of pride in our community that I felt on that special day in 1969. The success of Summer of Soul has proved the tapes to be just that, with the movie grossing over $1 million dollars so far. The first two festivals were relatively successful, but the 1969 event made major waves. hide caption. A grand unearthing of an event all but lost to wider cultural memory, Summer of Soul 's opening introduction of 1969's Harlem Cultural Festival the "Black Woodstock" is explosive . "Look at Aretha Franklin singing R-E-S-P-E-C-T, or Marvin Gaye's 'What's Going On' or Stevie Wonder's 'Happy Birthday,' a tribute to the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King. in Entertainment, Music. Just as Woodstock showcased iconic musicians, the Harlem Cultural Festival featured the performances of some of the greats: B.B. The Harlem Cultural Festival should be a highlight of American music history and a cultural milestone for Black people. The stage featured extraordinary artists from the sisterly harmonies of The Staple Singers to headlining sets by B.B. He began by staging the Love Festival in Newark, New Jersey, in the Fall of 1969, and it attracted more than 60,000 fans. The Roots drummer and songwriter Ahmir Thompson a.k.a. The Harlem Cultural Festival was a free, peaceful gathering in the midst of a very radical and sometimes violent time in history. Sandtown Park - Saint George, UT. Jackson also noted what an impact it was to see 50,000 Black people gathered in one place celebrating Black culture. Tensions had been running high in the city from spring into summer as the first anniversary of the Rev. It was incredibly important for me to get that history right.". I myself would benefit from these programs once I came of age. Knight, interviewed in the present for "Summer of Soul," talks about how deeply good it felt for her and the Pips to be on . Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.s assassination passed and 21 Black Panthers were indicted on charges of planning a bombing campaign across Manhattan to mark the occasion. Summer of Soul contains an abundance of awe-inspiring material. Jimi Hendrix was the only artist who asked to be a part of The Harlem Cultural Festival. Stevie Wonder hits the mark as he looks back and asserts, The so-called powers that are or were didnt find it significant enough to keep it as a part of history. There are new recollections from folks who lived in Harlem at that time and witnessed portions of the festival live, in addition to performers who took part onstage. It delivers a vibrant portrait of an event that showcased a broad spectrum of Black culture and then sets that celebration against the turbulent political backdrop of the 1960s. Gladys Knight & the Pips give one of the most energized performances of the festival, rendering their hit version of I Heard it Through the Grapevine. A lone review of this film may not do justice in attempting to describe the raw energy and magic of the performers. The concert series was filled with stars from blues, jazz, R&B, and soul and drew over. Gladys Knight and the Pips was just one of the impressive musical guests that performed at the Harlem Cultural Festival in the summer . Embracing the Black Experience unapologetically, Nina Simone rallies thousands of African Americans in the audience, proudly holding nothing back. Max Roachs son, Raoul Roach adds, My dad and Abbey just didnt see the civil rights struggle as an American thing, they saw the struggles in the Caribbean, South America, and in Africa all as part of a common struggle. Hugh Masekela commands the stage, as the film describes how the South African musician always supported oppressed citizens worldwide. Tears flow and emotions stir in these segments, as the Harlem Cultural Festival was such an important and timely event in their lives. Questlove, drummer for the Roots, the in-house band for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, flawlessly combines never-before-seen footage of the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival with new commentaries, creating a truly essential and entertaining viewing experience. Such a legacy lives on most notably in todays venerable and beloved Afropunk festival (which is not affiliated with the 50th anniversary Harlem Cultural Festival event). Questloves Summer of Soul documentary is revealing this event to the world. Questlove Discusses His Must-See New Doc, 'Summer Of Soul', 'Summer Of Soul' Celebrates A 1969 Black Cultural Festival Eclipsed By Woodstock. Summer of Soul (Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), a new music documentary of the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival has recently premiered, contributing another very important record of African-American culture during that era. Total attendance for the concert. He listened to Black community leaders then set up summer job and lunch programs for young urban teens. The 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival took place the year after Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated and the summer before Black Panther revolutionary Fred Hampton was assassinated. Music binds us all together. King, the Harlem Cultural Festival was vastly overshadowed in the. So take a trip back in time and immerse yourself in this glorious film. #SummerofSoulMovie . Anyone can read what you share. Now a global phenomenon in its 15th year, Afropunks Brooklyn extravaganza began as a social experiment, according to Matthew Morgan, one of the founders. School desegregation put Black youth and young adults into hostile environments in hopes of leveling the educational playing field. "You see the generations teetering," said Neville. Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures The overwhelming majority of the audience, joyfully welcoming the performers, could proudly call the surrounding neighborhood of Harlem their home. Anthony Mangos proudly serves with the United States Postal Service and is a lifelong union member. As a musician himself, Questlove gives special attention to the amazing roster of musical talent. ", Another lost battle is the intimacy, the privacy of Beaty-Barnes' concert memories, which will soon be able to be bought, burnt or downloaded into retro-adoring hands. A new 'guide' can help. We are Black people, and we should be proud of this. The police even refused to provide security for the event, and the Panthers stepped in to fill the void. Mavis Staples helped gospel legend Mahalia Jackson sing Precious Lord, Take My Hand, Martin Luther King Jr.s favorite song. Many Latinos called East Harlem home, and Puerto Rican percussionist and bandleader Ray Barretto also stirs up powerful music and inspiring words about the shared community he was a part of. July 13, 1969. She is the author of Liner Notes for the Revolution: Black Feminist Sound Cultures, forthcoming in 2020 from Harvard University Press. Surely some of the seeds for such a movement were planted back in 69, particularly when Simone chose as her final song a felt and pointed rendition of another new number, one shed written in honor of her dear friend, the playwright Lorraine Hansberry, who had died some four years earlier. 'Summer of Soul' documents the diverse nature and rich history of Black music during the tumultuous time for Black people that was 1969. He owns a good deal of Ed Sullivan material and provided most of the film for Martin Scorsese's recent Bob Dylan documentary. The festival has been called Black Woodstock, an interesting moniker considering it wrapped up two weeks before Woodstock. It was boiling hot but not one ounce of trouble," she said recently from her home in Newark, New Jersey. One shot from the 1967 festival stands out for its crispness and arresting power. It also became a place for up-and-coming politicians like Robert Kennedy to be seen. We want people to understand that this festival is being built by the people who are from, live, and work in this community. When August 24, 2019 at 8:00pm 3 hrs 59 mins. King and 100,000 spectators gathered for a concert worth remembering. This heartbreaking sentiment that poses a major question: How much Black history is still buried or completely lost because the majority didnt think it was worth acknowledgement nor preservation? Did you know that during the sweltering summer of 1969 when Woodstock took place there was another legendary music festival that drew crowds of more than Kate Vlahoulis LinkedIn: #harlem #blackhistory #bhm Sign up for our Email Newsletters here. Of course, racism tried to rear its ugly head with NYPD refusing to provide security during the concerts debut weekend. The year of Kings death was undoubtedly a major breaking point for Black people. Lawrence appeared in nightclubs and local productions of plays in the 1980s, but he then disappeared from public life. We all had to battle back in the Nixon years to fight for the Great Society. It was a place for Black music lovers to convene and listen to artists who sung about love, heartbreak, and pride from our specific perspectives. / Sing a simple song! The white interviewees all express pride and excitement but the Black interviewees point out how that money could have been better spent helping African American communities. 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