EXPOSITION
Summer of Soul Nina Simone
Summer of Soul (…or When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) opens with a musical performance by Stevie Wonder playing the drums. It is unexpected, stirring, and utterly captivating. This prodigious feat of percussion sets the tone for the rest of the film. Directed by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, the documentary depicts the Harlem Culture Festival of 1969. Just one-hundred miles from Woodstock, it was another festival making musical
history. Black, revolutionary history. With performances from legends such as Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Sly and the Family Stone, Mahalia Jackson and more, the festival was a showcase of the most exceptional Black artists of the time. From Motown to Blues, to diasporic Latinx music, Summer of Soul transports us to the summer of ‘69. One attendee describes the experience as the “ultimate Black barbeque”, with people from all age >> groups filling Mount Morris Park. 11
