Summer of Soul (. . . Or When the Revolution Could Not be Televised) could command attention just by virtue of its treasure trove of previously unreleased vintage footage of R&B, soul, gospel, jazz, and blues legends, including Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder, Max Roach, and Sly and the Family Stone. But the documentary, which spotlights the 1969 Harlem Culture Festival, a six-week series of free performances celebrating Black music and culture in Harlem’s Mount Morris Park (now Marcus Garvey Park), is much more than a standard concert film.
Summer of Soul does an excellent job of showcasing that spirit, and especially how the festival brought together music lovers across generations, regions, and cultural attitudes: Adrienne Kroyer of the Edwin Hawkins Singers discusses how performing in secular spaces put the gospel group at odds with members of their Pentecostal community; Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. of the 5th Dimension describe the emotional rush they felt playing for a welcoming audience after receiving criticism that their pop-infused sound was too “white”; and Lin-Manuel Miranda steps in to applaud the appearance of Latin-jazz musicians including Ray Barretto and Mongo Santamaria as a political act celebrating the ties between Harlem’s Black and Brown communities.
Dir. Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, 117 min., opens July 2 streaming on Hulu and in wide release in theaters.
