Over six weekends in the summer of 1969, the Harlem Cultural Festival drew more than 300,000 people. To tell the story of the 3rd Harlem Cultural Festival, Questlove intersperses brilliant performance footage with a mosaic of talking heads. NowPlayingUtah.com is an event promoter and does not plan any of the events you see here. 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. It shows that amid the joy and catharsis of Black musical expression, our proven ability to laugh in the face of adversity, and use jokes to speak truth to power, remains at the root of Black American resilience and survival. Drummer Max Roach appears with vocalist Abbey Lincoln interpreting John Coltranes Africa. The Harlem Festival of Culture will host a yearlong series of events leading up to the multi-day 2023 festival. Jazz aficionados will savor a performance clip of flutist Herbie Mann featuring Roy Ayers on vibraphone. . 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. Gladys Knight & the Pips perform at the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival. Backed by a reform-minded Mayor John Lindsay, whod built avenues of trust in Harlem by walking its streets on more than one occasion, the festival stood as a symbol of hope and everyday placemaking. Musically, culturally, and yes, politically, there is much to learn here. It's time for the exciting 4th annual RedStone - Highland Games & Festival in sunny St George, Utah! The director, producer, and emcee of the event was charismatic promoter and lounge singer Tony Lawrence, described as the glue which brought the festival into being. Then, after the 1968 Festival, Lawrence worked during the off-season to secure funding to help expand it for 1969, and he planned to have it broadcast on national television. In addition to the performances, the festival provided a stage for issues. Before Afropunk, Nina Simone, Sly Stone, Mahalia Jackson and more graced a Harlem stage in 1969. He loved Harlem. 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. At the 1967 festival, a group of children give their rapt attention to Tony Lawrences band. We see iconic musicians on stage, alongside lesser known artists of equally exquisite talent. Jackson also noted what an impact it was to see 50,000 Black people gathered in one place celebrating Black culture. By. Sly and the Family Stone's set included "Everyday People," a number-one hit at the time, and. Presented by Heritage Center Theater at Festival Hall and Heritage Theater - Cedar City, Cedar City UT. Tony Lawrence invited the 200 people who had protested the construction of an office building instead of a school. The election threw everyone for a loop following the assassination of Robert Kennedy(a clear Presidential nominee favorite for Black Democrats) and Richard Nixons win. Think about it; anyone can go onto YouTube and easily find video of iconic performances at Woodstock or clips from a documentary. No charge for contestants. 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. Months later, Mayor Lindsay helped music promoter Tony Lawrence produce a free six-week concert series in a central Harlem park during the summer of 1969. But the Harlem Cultural Festivals significance is more than worthy of the recent acknowledgement its getting on a nationwide scale. For specifics about any event please see contact info provided with event listing or contact the host organization directly. School desegregation put Black youth and young adults into hostile environments in hopes of leveling the educational playing field. SHARES. 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. (801) 576-9019. 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. In 1967, he started working for New Yorks Parks Department, and they began working on putting together the festival. The lineup was impressive and included some memorable appearances. Curiosity has been growing since Lauro leaked some footage onto a Nina Simone DVD/CD last summer, mentioning the festival in the liner notes. "And I know damn well that a. 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. Of course, racism tried to rear its ugly head with NYPD refusing to provide security during the concerts debut weekend. The Harlem Cultural Festival featured black musicians like Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder. Knight, interviewed in the present for "Summer of Soul," talks about how deeply good it felt for her and the Pips to be on . 26 S. Rio Grande St #2072, Salt Lake City, UT 84101 | npusupport@nowplayingutah.com, Festival Hall and Heritage Theater - Cedar City, KRCL's Women Who Rock Trivia Night for International Women's Day. 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. Anyone can read what you share. The music ranged from gospel to soul, jazz, blues, to the funk of Sly and the Family Stone. Searchlight Pictures. Summer of Soul, the new documentary from Questlove, spotlights 1969's Harlem Cultural Festival, a series of concerts that entertainer turned promoter Tony Lawrence presented in Harlem's Mount . 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. Share on Facebook Share on Twitter. 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. Financially, the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival was co-sponsored by the City of New York and the Maxwell House coffee company. Embracing the Black Experience unapologetically, Nina Simone rallies thousands of African Americans in the audience, proudly holding nothing back. A new 'guide' can help. 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. Black America's acute sense of being forcibly denied both altruistic leadership and hope made the Harlem Cultural Festival about more than mere music. King Cal Tjader Chuck Jackson David Ruffin Edwin Hawkins Singers George Kirby Gladys Knight and The Pips hide caption. As a musician himself, Questlove gives special attention to the amazing roster of musical talent. Gladys Knight and the Pips was just one of the impressive musical guests that performed at the Harlem Cultural Festival in the summer . (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?). HFC was founded by Harlem native, Ambassador Digital Magazine editor-in-chief Musa Jackson, who attended the original festival as a child and appeared in Summer of Soul. Nikoa Evans and Emmy-nominated event producer Yvonne McNair are also co-founders of the HFC. 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. The Harlem Cultural Festival, also known as "Black Woodstock", was a series of music concerts held in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City during the summer of 1969 to celebrate African American Read allThe Harlem Cultural Festival, also known as "Black Woodstock", was a series of music concerts held in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City during the summer of 1969 to celebrate African American music and culture and to promote the continued politics of Black pride.The Harlem Cultural Festival, also known as "Black Woodstock", was a series of music concerts held in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City during the summer of 1969 to celebrate African American music and culture and to promote the continued politics of Black pride. Questlove cuts away from grainy black and white NASA videos to show Walter Cronkite and other TV reporters interviewing unimpressed black festival goers. 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. Now Playing Utah is a charitable service that showcases transformative cultural experiences across Utah. By 1968, the Sunday evening shows were bringing in 25,000 fans each night. The 1960s were undoubtedly a turbulent yet pivotal decade for Black people. The citys new mayor, John Lindsay, felt the initiative could help ease some racial tensions and appease Black residents. Presented by St. George Art Museum at St. George Art Museum, Saint George UT. ", At least one person in the crowd took that speech to heart: Jesse Jackson, who ran for president twice in the 1980s. Someone is holding her attention, maybe dazzling her imagination. hide caption. 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. Harlem Cultural Festival Of 1969 Fuels Summer Of Soul. The Harlem Cultural Festival celebrated African American music and culture. Lauro runs Historic Films Archives, the nation's largest collection of musical footage. Sly and the Family Stone. Music binds us all together. Out of 40 hours of film he and editor Joshua L. Pearson had to select the most representative moments, be they powerful Afro-Latin numbers delivered by deceased greats like Mongo Santamaria and Ray Barretto, or South African jazzman Hugh Masekela whose presence reminds us that he and countrywoman Miriam Makeba escaped the apartheid regime of South Africa to join musical forces with Black American protest singers. Jackson continued, Being rooted, watered, and grown in this village of Harlem, I believe HFC is our moment to show the world the vibrancy of todays Harlem the music, the food, the look, all of it! And New York is still a city of first-class citizens and second-class schools. During the summer of 1969, a historic Black festival took place: the Harlem Cultural Festival. Woodstock is so present in American culture that people can recognize certain photos from it instantly. The Harlem Cultural Festival happened a year after Martin Luther King was . The Harlem Cultural Festival, also known as "Black Woodstock", was a series of music concerts held in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City during the summer of 1969 to celebrate African American music and culture and to promote the continued politics of Black pride. Its not the same for the Harlem Cultural Festival. 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. 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. HFC is also set to run A Harlem Jones open mic night at the Museum of the City of New York in tribute to the 25th anniversary of Love Jones on April 15. And we want our people, we want our people lifting us up.. Source: (The Everett Collection/Pop Sugar). Summer of Soul contains an abundance of awe-inspiring material. Iterations of the Harlem Cultural Festival were held in 1967 and 1968, but the 1969 events were the apex. The crowd gets moving, at the first Harlem Cultural Festival. When August 24, 2019 at 8:00pm 3 hrs 59 mins. The sheer volume of talent at the time was overwhelming. A hundred miles to the south of that sprawling rural rock n roll assembly, black folks were building their own musical commons. Keep up with all the latest news, arts and culture, and TV highlights from KPBS. Jackson shares his intense and solemn reflections with the Harlem audience. Total attendance for the concert. Atop the rocks and down in the grassy field, they were showing up to watch a roll call of black popular music luminaries move through tight sets covering beloved repertoires. Its a spirit as old school as peace and love. A lone review of this film may not do justice in attempting to describe the raw energy and magic of the performers. My aunt, who ran a small business on 125th street, began to hope again. Daphne A. Brooks is William R. Kenan Jr. 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 1963 March on Washington and Civil Rights Act of 1964 further galvanized Black people and allies to continue to push for equality and freedom. Director Hal Tulchin Stars The 5th Dimension Gladys Knight & The Pips Jesse Jackson Advertising Notice At the time, other youth-oriented festivals, like Monterey and Newport were starting to appear. The police even refused to provide security for the event, and the Panthers stepped in to fill the void. Like, he had to go and be part of it.. Iterations of the Harlem Cultural Festival were held in 1967 and 1968, but the 1969 events were the apex. "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. A little over one year after all of this turbulence, The Harlem Cultural Festival served to celebrate what no amount of hatred nor systemic oppression can take away from Black people: talent, pride, and joy. It continued to grow over three summers, becoming a place for black music, culture, and politics. 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. We must begin to tell our young/Theres a world waiting for you/Yours is the quest thats just begun. Out on the field, as she emphatically reminded the masses that your souls intact, the universe was wide open. Sign up to receive the latest arts and culture events happening in Salt Lake City and beyond. Hal Tulchin managed to capture the entire event on film, as he thought that the music and the setting could be made into a feature-length film. But you need to know that some mean stuff is going down. Later in the film The Fifth Dimension's Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr. also watch footage with a similar response and it is moving. "People were unwilling to remember," said Lauro. Advance preparations for the event were so elaborate that a corporate sponsor was required to guarantee musicians would be paid and the event could be filmed. Unbelievably, the video footage from the festival sat in a basement for over fifty years, unseen by the public after that summer. 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 series was over 300,000. John Lindsay, New York City mayor from 1966 to 1973, fully supported the festival. Wry humor is thus shown to be far from out of place in these overtly political films. Theres an inexplicable power and comfort in being in a sea of Black faces and enjoying a freeing experience together. She is currently adjunct professor with the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at New York University. 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? Get your kilt on! "Summer of Soul" is smartly and passionately crafted. Lindsay and his advisors walked the streets of Harlem the night after King died. As a freelance writer he contributes regularly to various film and literary publications. Over six weekends in the summer of 1969, the Harlem Cultural Festival drew more than 300,000 people. Thankfully, the long wait is over, and the world can now view and understand how essential and historic these concerts were in relation to the changing times. 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. The Black Panther Party provided security, along with the New York City Police Department (which initially balked at providing officers before finally committing). 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. Carol Cooper is a cultural critic. Summer of Soul festival returns to Harlem in 2023. by Peter A. April 13th. The 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival's success speaks to how this specific time is a significant snapshot of Black history. King and 100,000 spectators gathered for a concert worth remembering. His son, Selema Masekela contributes, My father realized there was this real hunger for Black Americans to feel and see and taste what it would be like to be African. 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. The reality of concealed or lost history has a generational trickledown. Most people have heard of Woodstock but most have never heard of the Harlem Cultural Festival that happened that same summer of 1969. Mayor Lindsay is introduced onstage by Tony Lawrence as our blue-eyed soul brother and is seen having a good time with the audience. 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. NowPlayingUtah.com is an event promoter and does not plan any of the events you see here. 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