As usual, a piece of Black history or history involving African Americans is forgotten or ignored. In 1969, the Woodstock Rock Festival was a music event that was one of the most iconic and legendary moments that has been remembered, recalled and invoked for decades. It only lasted three days and featured mostly white artists. However, that same year in 1969, there was another music festival, only two hours away in the Big Apple called the Harlem Cultural Festival at Mt. Morris Park. It was referred to as the "Black Woodstock," even though it started before Woodstock and ran for nearly two months. It featured predominantly, if not all African-American artists. The mayor of New York even made an appearance.
The whole thing was filmed and was perhaps intended to be released theatrically or put on television. However, the people behind filming it couldn't sell the footage to any studio or network. Some people compare it to Amazing Grace (2019), the documentary about the concert that Aretha Franklin performed in 1972 in the New Bethel Baptist Church. That documentary was meant to be released back then, but, due to technical difficulties and then later Franklin's refusal to allow its release, that documentary wasn't able to come out until 40 years later. This documentary is different because it wasn't technical difficulties or the artists' refusal. The mainstream media simply rejected it or dismissed it, despite it possessing incredible performances from so many incredible Black artists from Stevie Wonder to Nina Simone.
Ahmir Thompson aka Questlove, the drummer for The Roots and standout musician, is the director of this documentary. He was surprised that the footage sat in a basement for 50 years. There were people who performed and who attended the festival who remember it, but the festival didn't have the collective consciousness or collective awareness that Woodstock had, so with the aging and passing of the people who were there, the memory of that festival would be forgotten or the experience wouldn't be kept alive as Woodstock. Questlove's intention was to remind people or make sure it wasn't forgotten. One tactic is him showing the footage to the artists and to some people in the audience to refresh their memories.
Questlove also puts the festival in context to the surrounding events at the time. It was the height of the Civil Rights Movement but it also came in the wake of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination and the 1968 Harlem riots. There was poverty and racism rampant. So, the concert was meant to ease tensions or give Black people a relief. Some even compared it to a block party or one large barbecue. A funny line is that people say it smelled of Afro-sheen and chicken wings. As it plays, that block party feeling is certainly conveyed.
The main issue is how Questlove edits the performances to fit in 2 hours. He showcases 20 or so artists that represent a range of music from R&B to gospel to jazz to conga. All the performances are great. The one performance that blew me away would have to be that of Mahalia Jackson who sings with Mavis Staples. It was the performance that made me tear up. Jackson and Staples are that powerful and their voices are that strong.
(...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
Rated PG-13 for some disturbing images, smoking and brief drug material.
Running Time: 1 hr. and 57 mins.
Available on Hulu.
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