Summer of Soul: (Or when the revolution could not be televised) directed by the musical genius Questlove is a gorgeous documentary about a 1969 R & B, Gospel and Blues concert in Harlem. Overshadowed by Woodstock and the Moon landing, the footage and press on the concert was buried for years.
Not a brag, but more of a confirmation, I was over the moon at a clip of Stevie Wonder hammering a perfect drum solo and lo and behold, that was the same clip that grabbed Questlove to a calling that this footage had to be made into a documentary.
While the entire doc was superior (how I loved the colorful fashion, the youthful visage of BB King, Gladys Knight, Jesse Jackson, etc.), two specific elements struck me as important. First, shame on me, but I had no idea of the significance of Charlayne Hunter-Gault, who is a part-time Sarasota resident. Thanks to Questlove, I now know her entire impressive legacy. Charlayne helps narrate the doc with the beatific emphasis that the music of the 1970’s helped through some of the difficulties of being one of the first African Americans attending the University of Georgia.
Second, the see the optimism and joy on the faces of the 30,000 concert goers was medicine we could all use at this point in American History. Let’s start loving each other again with greater empathy. As Sly and the Family Stone sang, “I’m I am Everyday People…we got to live together. I am no better and neither are you.”
Summer of Soul: Return to Innocence Our Goal
