The Harlem Cultural Festival was arguably one of the first of its kind to promote black pop as transformative urban event, as a site to be inhabited as well as a sound to be experienced, and the key to new neighborhood connections and collaborations. King, Nina Simone, Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach, the Fifth Dimension, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Stevie Wonder, Mahalia Jackson, Moms Mabley, Pigmeat Markham and more. One articulate interviewee declares that the moon landing is in no way more important than the speakers and musicians celebrating black unity at Mount Morris Park. This is a feast for both ears and eyes, as the fashions and wardrobes of the era are on full, colorful display. A love letter to the next generation and a book of instruction, To Be Young Gifted and Black was the kind of anthem meant to reach that little girl in the crowd who was hanging on her every word. Mayor John Lindsay, left, escorted by Black Panthers, who helped provide security for the event. It also became a place for up-and-coming politicians like Robert Kennedy to be seen. Total attendance for the concert. This was Harlems sonic playground, and it featured the likes of the gospel crossover sensation Edwin Hawkins, the blues icon B.B. Those who turned out in Harlem bucked the malicious stereotype of the black mob. They gathered peacefully with no incident conjuring an energy akin to that of their Bethel, N.Y., hippie brethren open and ready to ride the wave of a local black sound utopia. 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. The concert she attended, what some now call the Black Woodstock, came on the heels of two of Malcolm X's former aides being shotone fatally. Your Privacy Rights The Black Panther Party provided security, along with the New York City Police Department (which initially balked at providing officers before finally committing). But Woodstock, while avowedly anti-war and anti-imperialist, was also synonymous with sex, psychedelics, and rock & roll. But the Harlem Cultural Festivals significance is more than worthy of the recent acknowledgement its getting on a nationwide scale. Sixteen months before the festival, John Lindsay, a progressive Republican was elected mayor of New York. 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. With the success of the Festival, Lawrence planned to bring it across the country. He also raised funds for a playground and a Head Start program. Reverend Jesse Jackson reflects back on that crucial time and is also seen in original stage footage with Ben Branch and the Operation Breadbasket Orchestra and Choir. We not only hear from people interviewed in '69, we also get contemporary reflections from surviving eye-witnesses who were adolescents or in their early 20s when they attended these concerts. ", Reached recently in preparation for a voting-rights march in New Orleans, Jackson reflected on what was accomplished that summer in Harlem, and summers since. #SummerofSoulMovie . Destructive 'Super Pigs' From Canada Threaten the Northern U.S. Did an Ancient Magnetic Field Reversal Cause Chaos for Life on Earth 42,000 Years Ago? 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Jesse Jackson, Nina Simone, B.B. hide caption. As musician and filmmaker Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson's strategic direction makes clear, these concerts were organized to reveal and encourage a new Pan-African push for social justice. The 1963 March on Washington and Civil Rights Act of 1964 further galvanized Black people and allies to continue to push for equality and freedom. Lindsay and his advisors walked the streets of Harlem the night after King died. 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. "It's like how all the great black jazz men had to go to Europe to be appreciated." His passions include supporting and revitalizing the inner cities and downtowns, animal rights, traveling, and experiencing different cultures. Musically, culturally, and yes, politically, there is much to learn here. 224. 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. People were sitting in the trees. Mavis Staples helped gospel legend Mahalia Jackson sing Precious Lord, Take My Hand, Martin Luther King Jr.s favorite song. We're excited to share this valuable resource! (Simone closed out her performance by reading the fiery poem Are You Ready, Black People? The Last Poets David Nelsons spoken-word call-to-action, asking of the crowd, Are you ready to smash white things, to burn buildings?). Experiencing the film up close on a big screen will enable viewers to feel as if they have been transported back to 1969 Harlem, surrounded by vibrancy, art, culture, and community. April 14 - 15, 2023. kd @ gmail.com. Produced and directed by Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, "Summer of Soul" was the inspiration for a new outdoor music festival set for 2023. Daphne A. Brooks is William R. Kenan Jr. For 50 years, 45 hours worth of footage from the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival in New York sat in a basement, remaining unseen by the public. Jackson also noted what an impact it was to see 50,000 Black people gathered in one place celebrating Black culture. 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. The venue is today known as the Marcus Garvey Park. Source: (Butler's Cinema Scene). Her words sum up best the collective feeling encompassing this seminal event, But I knew something very, very important was happening in Harlem that day. 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 no LinkedIn: #harlem #blackhistory #bhm "Summer of Soul" is smartly and passionately crafted. "And I know damn well that a. "As opposed to, say, Wattstax, where you see a kitschy funkifying of 70s America. Summer of Soul festival returns to Harlem in 2023. by Peter A. April 13th. At Black Woodstock, an All-Star Lineup Delivered Joy and Renewal to 300,000, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/15/arts/music/black-woodstock-harlem-festival-1969.html. Sly and the Family Stone. John Lindsay, a liberal Republican, was the Mayor of New York City from 1966-1973, and a staunch ally of the embattled black and brown residents of his city. Where to Watch 1969's Harlem Cultural Festival TV special The Original Summer of Soul | by James Gaunt | The Riff | Medium Write Sign up Sign In 500 Apologies, but something went wrong on. July 13, 1969. King, the Harlem Cultural Festival was vastly overshadowed in the. Sign up to receive the latest arts and culture events happening in Salt Lake City and beyond. The concert series was filled with stars from blues, jazz, R&B, and soul and drew over. It was also a time of collective heartbreak with events like Bloody Sunday and the assassinations of Malcolm X in 1965 and Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968. The festival had a small budget, but still attracted artists like Count Basie and Tito Puente in its first two years. Think about it; anyone can go onto YouTube and easily find video of iconic performances at Woodstock or clips from a documentary. Director Hal Tulchin Stars The 5th Dimension Gladys Knight & The Pips Jesse Jackson But it was a lengthy set of gospel music that became the emotional lynch pin for an event dedicated to the legacy of civil rights martyrs like King and Malcolm X. Unlike Woodstock, these concerts were no sybaritic celebration of hippie counterculture, but a direct response to the profound losses and violence endured by Black activists and progressives that preceded that summer. The Kerner Report suggestions had to be deployed by proactive mayors like John Lindsay before similar initiatives were widely implemented by the federal government. 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. Presented by KRCL 90.9fm at Mountain West Hard Cider, Salt Lake City UT. Atop the rocks and down in the grassy field, they were showing up to watch a roll. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. King Cal Tjader Chuck Jackson David Ruffin Edwin Hawkins Singers George Kirby Gladys Knight and The Pips The festival took place from June 29 to August 24, 1969. Morris Park (now Marcus Garvey Park) during the summer of 1969, featuring 25 artists that played to over 300,000 attendees. A A. 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. Over six weekends in the summer of 1969, the Harlem Cultural Festival drew more than 300,000 people. The Roots drummer and songwriter Ahmir Thompson a.k.a. Tears flow and emotions stir in these segments, as the Harlem Cultural Festival was such an important and timely event in their lives. We are happy to announce the second annual Utah Grown Event, this year on March 2nd. Gladys Knight and the Pips was just one of the impressive musical guests that performed at the Harlem Cultural Festival in the summer . Questlove has said that he believes the fact that no one bought and compiled these landmark performances into a music documentary before now represents an attempt to deliberately ignore or erase important Black cultural activity. She is currently adjunct professor with the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at New York University. By most accounts, aside from certain festival excerpts aired early on by WNEW TV and much later the licensing of a few concert clips to record labels like Sony for archival video projects, most of the Harlem Festival footage sat unseen for decades. Sly and the Family Stone, the racially integrated rock band that would go on to play Woodstock, also give an amazingly electrifying performance, including their multiracial anthem of unity, Everyday People. They took to the streets to angrily vent their frustrations and pain. "The fact that 40 hours of footage was kept from the public," he says, "is living proof that revisionist history exists. As a musician himself, Questlove gives special attention to the amazing roster of musical talent. The Harlem Cultural Festival should be a highlight of American music history and a cultural milestone for Black people. Now musician and first time director Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson has crafted a film that both celebrates the amazing event as well as placing it into a larger context. Jesse Jackson speaking to the crowd, with the Operation Breadbasket Band behind him. The police even refused to provide security for the event, and the Panthers stepped in to fill the void. But you have the mental capacity to read the signs of the times. From W.E.B. He listened to Black community leaders then set up summer job and lunch programs for young urban teens. For specifics about any event please see contact info provided with event listing or contact the host organization directly. Before Afropunk, Nina Simone, Sly Stone, Mahalia Jackson and more graced a Harlem stage in 1969. It is likely that Questlove studied these 1970s concert films because of the ways in which Summer of Soul similarly intersperses diverse styles of live music with trenchant observations from participants. Lawrence tried to recreate the festival in 1974, calling it the International Harlem Cultural Festival, but it never happened. Jesse Jackson came onstage to announce that she and Mavis Staples would trade leads on "Precious Lord, Take My Hand," but Mahalia gives the younger singer most of the sorrowful verses, saving her own voice for powerful shouts and moans that convey a depth of feeling beyond words. The idea was to celebrate African American music and promote black pride and unity after a difficult period during the late 1960s which saw the Watts Riots and the deaths of Martin Luther King (April 1968) and Malcolm X (February 1965). The Harlem Cultural Festival took place on six Sundays beginning June 29 and ending August 24, 1969, in Mount Morris Park (now named Marcus Garvey Park). in Entertainment, Music. Most people have heard of Woodstock but most have never heard of the Harlem Cultural Festival that happened that same summer of 1969. A lot of you can't read newspapers. He owns a good deal of Ed Sullivan material and provided most of the film for Martin Scorsese's recent Bob Dylan documentary. Admission was free. hide caption. Singer Abbey Lincoln performing at the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival in a scene from the new concert film Summer of Soul. Black music often ties into the social climate, making bold political statements to empower and speak for the people. Jazz aficionados will savor a performance clip of flutist Herbie Mann featuring Roy Ayers on vibraphone. Each weekend from June 29 to August 24 in 1969, thousands of Harlem residents flocked to what is now Marcus Garvey Park. Both Jesse Jackson and Ben Branch were in Memphis with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the time of the assassination on April 4, 1968, and Rev. The Harlem Cultural Festival could have easily been lost in time outside of those who are still alive to recall the event and Harlem residents who celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2019. He is now teaming with Robert Gordon and Morgan Neville, who produced "Muddy Waters Can't Be Satisfied," to tell the forgotten story of the Harlem festival. Summer of Soul follows in the spirit of equally empowering black concert films like Soul to Soul (1971) (organized to celebrate 14 years of Ghanaian independence) and Wattstax (1973), a community fundraiser arranged by Stax Records and Jesse Jackson to commemorate the seventh anniversary of the Watts riots in Los Angeles. Lindsays belief that We can lick the problems of the ghetto, if we care, morphed into the concert posters slogan, Do you care? Lindsay was introduced as the blue-eyed soul brother, and the gospel great Mahalia Jackson who would join the newly solo vocal powerhouse Mavis Staples for a duet spoke confidently of his impending victory. The events were all captured on film by TV producer Hal Tulchin who had wanted to sell the footage to the TV networks but none of them showed any interest and some 50 hours of footage has still not seen the light of day. It wasnt just about the music. Held in Harlem at Mount Morris (what is now Marcus Garvey) Park, it was a self-consciously urban affair, a concert series rather than a one-off, and already in its third year. Knight, interviewed in the present for "Summer of Soul," talks about how deeply good it felt for her and the Pips to be on . But Hendrix was one of the few black musicians at an event that has become a cultural touchstone for white America. Source: (Sundance Institute/YouTube/Nerdist). See production, box office & company info, Summer of Soul (Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), Summer of Soul (Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (2021). Some of you are laughing because you don't know any better, and others laughing because you are too mean to cry. When August 24, 2019 at 8:00pm 3 hrs 59 mins. 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. Sadly, LBJ chose to ignore the findings of the so called "Kerner Commission" which warned in part: "What white Americans have never fully understoodbut what the Negro can never forget is that white society is deeply implicated in the ghetto. He found a fan base by the mid-1960s and then began working as a church Youth Director. In the film, viewers are introduced to the event's promoter and organiser, Tony Lawrence. This led to a job with New Yorks Parks Department, where he pitched his idea for cultural festivals in 1967. "The 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival was one of the most exciting things that happened in Harlem," says former congressman and Harlem native Charles Rangel. So it came as little surprise when the NYPD refused to provide security for the festival. Someone is holding her attention, maybe dazzling her imagination. Anyone can read what you share. "You had to go to the concerts. Sunday, June 29, 1969 Mount Morris Park, New York, NY Edwin Hawkins Singers George Kirby Max Roach Olatunji Sly & the Family Stone The 5th Dimension Sly and the Family Stone in Summer of Soul. Black America's acute sense of being forcibly denied both altruistic leadership and hope made the Harlem Cultural Festival about more than mere music. Summer of Soul (Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) is showing in both theatres and on Hulu streaming. 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. According to a Rolling Stones profile, the Harlem Cultural Festival was created by Tony Lawrence, a singer whose star began to rise in the mid 1960s as he took over night clubs with his blend of R&B and Calypso music. Festivals significance is more than worthy of the recent acknowledgement its getting on a nationwide.! Event in their lives the Marcus Garvey Park ) during the summer mid-1960s! Synonymous with sex, psychedelics, and the Panthers stepped in to fill the.. Black people gathered in one place celebrating Black culture Panthers stepped in to fill void. 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