Direction: Ahmir “Questlove" Thompson
Country: USA
This clear-eyed music documentary directed by hip-hop/neo-soul artist Ahmir “Questlove" Thompson (from the band The Roots) puts on view unseen footage of the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, which sat unpublished in a basement for 50 years. The six-week event took place at Mount Morris Park in a hot summer and got virtually no publicity when compared to Woodstock, despite counting on impressive performances from major black artists. The film elucidates that the festival wasn’t just about the music but also about the proud of being black, the demand for change and the necessity of progress for the African-American people and Latin communities. The time was of political and racial unrest, more important concerns of the Harlem population than the same year’s moon landing of the Apollo 11. People clearly needed that music to drive away depression and white repression.
Questlove interviewed both attendees and public figures, and the performances were varied, going from soul/funk and gospel (Stevie Wonder, Sly & the Family Stone, The Staple Singers) to jazz (Nina Simone, Max Roach/Abbey Lincoln, Herbie Mann, Sonny Sharrock) to Latin/world music (Mongo Santamaria, Ray Barretto, Hugh Masekela). Also the blues (BB King) and the Motown sound (Temptation’s David Ruffin, Gladys Knight) served to delight the enthusiastic crowd.
As a melting pot of killing grooves and a vibrant push on the civil rights movement, the festival, which was born from a bold initiative by Tony Lawrence with the support of the mayor of New York, John Lindsay (a charismatic Republican who was popular among black people), was a rejoicing experience. Trust me, the heat is real and the communion incredible.
