Summer of Soul on Hulu

[bertrand]

Great documentary but yes, I want to see complete sets.

Also, Wikipedia claims some of this WAS broadcast at the time. So some of it WAS seen before. Is Wikipedia wrong? 

I asked this in the other thread but worth repeating here:

The piece Abbey sings is captioned as 'Africa'. It is not 'All Africa' from We Insist. The credits at the end claim it is the Coltrane composition but I think I would have recognized it. I will check it again later. Not just an academic exercise, there is serious $$$ involved and the correct composer needs to be identified.

Bertrand.

[ghost of miles]

On 7/4/2021 at 6:42 PM, Bill Nelson said:

Many thanks to the above-thread contributors who convinced me to get into my local theater for 'Summer of Soul'.  it was the first actual movie I'd seen since '1917' and the experience was well worth the trip.  By itself, the duo of Mahalia Jackson and Mavis Staples was, as HutchFan said, "as powerful and beautiful as music can possibly be".  

'SoS' went far beyond any previous festival or concert films, as it had actual participants reflect on the 1969 concerts.  In addition, there were several documentary drop-ins of prior political and social events of the 60's to provide context.  As an Athens resident, I cannot overlook the commentary of journalist Charlayne Hunter-Gault describing her breaking the color barrier in 1960 to attend the University of Georgia.  Indeed, such were the times and it's to the credit of 'SoS' for the many reminders.        

 

Yes, I loved both the context-setting and the participants reflecting and reacting to seeing the footage so many years later. And the musical performances are riveting.

On 7/12/2021 at 9:20 AM, bertrand said:

Great documentary but yes, I want to see complete sets.

Also, Wikipedia claims some of this WAS broadcast at the time. So some of it WAS seen before. Is Wikipedia wrong? 

Some of Nina Simone’s performance has been floating around on YouTube for years—I remember linking to clips in the web-post for a Night Lights show about her RCA era.  

Edited July 14, 2021 by ghost of miles

[Bill Nelson]

Speaking of Nina in '69, I saw her on Jan. 31 that year at the Boston Globe Jazz Fest (at the War Memorial Auditorium).  Instead of being in thrall, I was scared shitless and avoided eye contact -- fearing she might find me.  Nina appeared on a bill with B.B. King, Hugh Masekela, and Sun Ra (who proceeded to clear out the mostly white audience).

Despite quaking in the fierce 'pleasure' of Ms. Simone, I should've attended the previous night when Roland Kirk sat in with the Mothers of Invention.

   

[Teasing the Korean]

1 hour ago, ghost of miles said:

Some of Nina Simone’s performance has been floating around on YouTube for years—I remember linking to clips in the web-post for a Night Lights show about her RCA era.  

I'm not on FB, but I was told of a FB post by someone who apparently digitized the tapes for a potential release about 20 years ago.  He referenced the Nina performance and said it had been used elsewhere.  

[JSngry]

https://gregmitchell.substack.com/p/was-summer-of-soul-footage-really

Sounds like a not unexpected bit of whitegrabbing coulda-ness, now pay attention to me.

unless the guy is owed money, and he's not claiming that he is, it's at best an interesting footnote of one more way that nothing happened until now.

[John L]

On 7/4/2021 at 7:49 PM, JSngry said:

The film "as is" is a national treasure. If you would have told me that I would be able to see Mavis Staples share a microphone with Mahalia Jackson in front of a massive outdoor crowd in Harlem...I would not have believed you.

 

Absolutely.   Mavis has often recalled this moment as one of the highlights of her career.  But it was always thought that no soundbite exists, let alone video, let alone color film produced with great artistic taste.   It lives up to Marvis' hype and more.   The whole film is nothing short of amazing. 

[CJ Shearn]

Finishing it now. It's fantastic and well thought out.

[Teasing the Korean]

5 hours ago, JSngry said:

https://gregmitchell.substack.com/p/was-summer-of-soul-footage-really

Sounds like a not unexpected bit of whitegrabbing coulda-ness, now pay attention to me.

unless the guy is owed money, and he's not claiming that he is, it's at best an interesting footnote of one more way that nothing happened until now.

Well, the previous use of the Nina Simone footage would at least partially back up his story. 

[JSngry]

Never any question in my mind that the whole "unseen in 50 years!!!" thing was marketing hype. The existence of the Netflix footage (great doc there too) and the crediting there of it's source event should have made that much obvious. Clearly, the footage was known, and had been made available in some fashion, by somebody. Does nobody pay attention to stuff like this? No wonder hype is so easily rendered...

Bottom line, though, this guy did not impress the actual owner of the footage enough to seal any kind of a meaningful deal. So, he's not claiming that he got ripped off in any way, he just wants, what, "credit"? For putting money into a deal that didn't work out for him? Why was that? The ever-popular "reasons unknown"...yeah  Maybe the owner had dreams of a movie, and this guy is offering the occasional pieces of footage licensing, and then finally, somebody actually WANTS TO MAKE A MOVIE out of it? Reasons unknown my ass . 

Ok, you got credit now, so you and your former Crawdaddy editor writer buddy go back to being Boomers who are irrelevant to this music and this story 

I guarantee you that if this movie never got made, or got made badly, this bunch would not be stepping out now. He's not asking for money or for a revised screen credit (don't see how he's entitled to the former, but might well be to the latter - if he himself actually did the work), so what's his point? That he had a chance and blew it and then somebody came along who didn't?

Color me...totally not interested.

[felser]

I'm more sympathetic.  He's calling BS on the whole "reels sat in a basement forgotten for 50 years" story, and I'm glad enough to have the hype called out.  I do want to see the documentary and more

 

 

[JSngry]

Why are you glad to have the hype called out for this movie, specifically? Or do you just like to see hype called out in every instance?

No, they weren't forgotten for 50 years, but the were definitely undervalued, especially by this butthurt boomer, which in the world of commerce is perhaps even worse than being forgotten.

Bottom line - they did sit in a basement, and they were all but forgotten.

If that's the worst hype I have to ensure in the service of bringing Black Art into the  Modern American Discourse...not too bad.

Then again, for some, the only proper anditote for Black Erasure (a very real thing) is Whiny White Impotence (also a very real thing).

Woodstock sucks, then now and forever.

There's some hype called out, right there.

 

Oh, Bob Dylan - voice of a demogrphic, not of a generation.

More hype called out.

[felser]

Well, Woodstock and Dylan suck is opinion,  not incorrect fact.  Summer of Soul needed an audio/video contract and release..  Wattstax was certainly not overlooked, because Stax got it out there.  I do very much want to see Summer of Soul. Will immediately pre-order blu-ray when available and hope for hours of extras.

[JSngry]

wow.

 

 

 

 

[soulpope]

7 hours ago, felser said:

.... I do very much want to see Summer of Soul ....

Yes ....

[Adam]

The film states that one hour of each day's content was broadcast on a local (public access?) NYC station as it happened.  You can see in the film that it was a mix of celluloid and video - you can still see the video noise on the edge of some frames.  And you can see one of the video cameras front and center recording at least one performance.

It seemed to me that more celluloid was used in earlier weeks.  The still photo that I've seen of that basement shows film reels and video tape reels.  They decompose at different rates, but if the basement was cool enough and dry enough, then they can last.  Good archives are mainly cool and dry.  The celluloid would last longer than the video.  I'm pretty amazed at how much video survived.  Not sure if any of that is important.  But whomever paid for the filming originally would own the rights until someone paid for them.  They never say whose basement, oddly.  I would have assumed that it was the organizer's, Tony Jackson (?), but if it were his, then I would have thought that they would have said so, and I don't recall that.  But lots of old films and home movies live for long periods in basements, attics, closets, and under beds.

I don't care about whether "never before seen" is 100% accurate - that's a sales line.   I haven't seen any of it before

I just wish they had included some footage from the last date, with the beauty contest and some acts that I have never heard of. 

And I don't understand why they don't have a CD box set all ready to go.  Sure it would cost a lot, but it seemed like the audio recording was pretty good.  Not even a double disc of selections from the film?  That would be affordable, and pretty standard.

[Stereojack]

The film is a must see, even if it is merely a teaser for a forthcoming box set (we can wish). The musical high points are SO HIGH - Mahalia & Mavis, Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder, to name just three. See it on the big screen, if you can. For our first time at the movies in a year and a half, this was a wonderful way to break back in!

  

[felser]

DVD release scheduled for February 8 according to Barnes and Noble.  No preorder link on Amazon yet.