Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not be Televised), Ahmir Khalib Thompson’s (aka Questlove) infectious collection of never-before-seen-footage of the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival (defamed for generations as “Black Woodstock”) is both a musical spectacular blowout and a powerful deconstruction of the  Black experience of the era. In a lyrical collage of glorious music and sociological study set at the end of the Civil Rights Movement, Summer of Soul looks through the lens of performance, activism, and musical genealogy to speak to our country’s history, black identity, and the all-transformative power of soul. The musical segments alone make Questlove’s Sundance-winning documentary an absolute must-see. The sociopolitical commentary that runs throughout however makes it essential.  Read More