Page 14 - aruba-today-20210201

A14 PEOPLE & ARTS
Monday 1 February 2021
Questlove uncovers 'Black Woodstock' in his hit Sundance doc

By JAKE COYLE to find the footage a home
NEW YORK (AP) — Quest- until his death in 2017.
love responded with in- "Literally, had we let a few
credulous disbelief when months more go by, a lot
he was first told about the of this footage would have
footage. been discarded in the
A landmark 1969 Harlem trash," says Questlove. "Hal
concert series that he Tulchin had been trying to
hadn't heard of? With Ste- sell this footage for years
vie Wonder? With Nina Sim- and years and decades
one? With Sly and the Fam- and decades. Nobody
ily Stone, B.B. King and the would take the bait. His
Staples Singers? wife was like: I know some
"I was like, 'Yeah, right.' I of his stuff is in the base-
know everything that musi- ment but I'm about to clear
cally happened during that the basement and get rid
time period and I've never of it. Who knew that you
heard of this in my life. 'Get could get Stevie Wonder
out of here,'" Ahmir "Quest- for so cheap, or Sly and the
love" Thompson recalled Family Stone?"
in an interview. "Then they The material is indeed jaw-
came back and showed dropping. Simone, perhaps
me the footage and I was for the first time, performs
just jaw-dropped." "To Be Young, Gifted and
That was the beginning of Black." Sly and the Family
what would become "Sum- Musician and DJ Questlove attends the Planned Parenthood of New York City spring gala benefit Stone, the only act to play
mer of Soul (...or When the on May 1, 2019, in New York. both Woodstock and Har-
Revolution Could Not Be Associated Press lem in 1969, plays "I Want
Televised)," a concert-film to Take You Higher." Hugh
time-capsule of a historic with a live-streamed after- seasoned director's hands, lem Cultural Festival — "like Masekela does "Grazing in
but largely forgotten festi- party DJ set. this could change some- a rose coming through the the Grass." Mahalia Jack-
val. Known as "Black Wood- As the Roots drummer, the one's life," he says. "I knew concrete" one attendee son and Mavis Staples sing
stock," the festival occurred "Tonight" show bandleader, I was watching something remembers — came a year an astonishing gospel duet.
during the same summer as an in-demand producer special. But I got over my after Martin Luther King Jr.'s "The more I watched it, es-
Woodstock — and just 100 and a self-declared "music fear. I often will go through assassination. Rev. Jesse pecially with the gospel
miles away — but received nerd," Questlove's ubiqui- impostor syndrome. I real- Jackson is seen speak- performances, that's just
far less attention. tous presence in music has ized now it's my chance to ing passionately from the some of the prime, docu-
"Summer of Soul," Quest- often bled into film projects. change someone's life and stage: "When we're more mented, raw gospel per-
love's directorial debut, fi- But "Summer of Soul" is his tell a story that was almost concerned about the formances I've ever seen
nally unearths a little-seen first time directing — his first erased." moon than men, some- in my lifetime," says Quest-
landmark musical event. It "jawn," as he labels it, using Over six Sundays in 1969, body better wake up." love. "I was just like: Yo, is it
debuted Thursday night at Philadelphia slang — even more than 300,000 gath- The concerts were filmed that easy just to erase our
the Sundance Film Festival if he never sought it out. ered in Harlem's Mt. Mor- by the television veteran history? Is it that easy, in a
where it spawned immedi- "You're asking if this was on ris Park for a celebration Hal Tulchin, but he found snap? Could it just be lost?
ate acclaim and countless my bucket-list bingo card?" of soul, gospel, funk and, that no networks or Holly- That one scene, alone, with
at-home dance parties for says Questlove smiling over most of all of Black identity wood producers were in- Mahalia Jackson and Ma-
virtual festivalgoers — a Zoom. at a pivotal point in African terested in his 40 hours of vis Staples, that almost was
party Questlove extended "I was thinking in a more American culture. The Har- footage. Tulchin kept trying in the trash.q

Country Hall of Famer, actor Kris Kristofferson has retired

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Barbara and Louise Man- the Songwriter Hall of Fame.
Grammy-winning singer- drell and the Roger Miller He also received a lifetime
songwriter Kris Kristofferson estate. achievement award from
has announced his retire- Kristofferson, an Oxford the Recording Academy.
ment after five decades scholar from Texas, brought As for retiring, the release
and named a manager for introspective and poetic said Kristofferson will cel-
his estate. lyrics to country music with ebrate his 85th birthday this
A press release issued songs like “Sunday Mornin’ June with several special
Wednesday said that the Comin’ Down” and “Me projects.q
84-year-old actor and sing- and Bobby McGee” and 1 2 3 6 8 7 4 5 9
er actually retired last year was a member of the su- 5 8 9 3 4 2 1 6 7
and his son, John, stepped pergroup The Highway-
in to oversee his father’s men. He has starred in 70 4 7 6 9 5 1 2 3 8
business, including special films and earned a Golden 3 6 7 1 2 8 9 4 5
projects and his record la- Globe for his performance 8 4 1 7 9 5 6 2 3 2021 Conceptis Puzzles, Dist. by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
bel KK Records. His estate in “A Star is Born.” 2 9 5 4 3 6 7 8 1
will be managed by Mor- He was inducted to the 6 5 8 2 1 9 3 7 4
Singer Kris Kristofferson performs at the Glastonbury music festi-
val at Worthy Farm, in Somerset, England, on June 23, 2017. ris Higham Management, Country Music Hall of Fame 7 1 4 5 6 3 8 9 2
Associated Press which also manages clients and was awarded the 9 3 2 8 7 4 5 1 6
including Kenny Chesney, Johnny Mercer Award from Difficulty Level 2/01