Questlove’s award-winning and Grammy-nominated directorial debut, Summer of Soul (…Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised), is still making quite the buzz amongst music lovers. Legacy Records recently announced the forthcoming arrival of the film’s official soundtrack.
Commemorating the concert series described as a “joyous musical celebration and nearly erased historical event that celebrated Black culture, pride and unity,” Questlove chose 17 live renditions of jazz, blues, R&B, and soul classics that were performed at the Harlem Cultural Festival and seen in the film. The first single from the soundtrack, Sly & The Family Stone’s “Sing A Simple Song” arrives today (Dec. 9).
In a statement, Questlove shared, “It goes beyond saying that you can’t have a monster music journey on film without an equally awesome soundtrack. The people demanded ‘more!’. So for the people, we bring you musical manna that hopefully won’t be the last serving. These performances are lightning in a bottle. Pure artistry! Enjoy.”
The soundtrack also includes B.B. King’s “Why I Sing The Blues,” Gladys Knight & The Pips’ “I Heard It Through The Grapevine,” Nina Simone’s “Backlash Blues” and “Are You Ready,” plus “Precious Lord Take My Hand” from The Operation Breadbasket Orchestra & Choir featuring Mahalia Jackson and Mavis Staples.
Physical CD and digital copies are available for pre-order while the vinyl format will be available in 2022.
Summer Of Soul highlights the momentous events that took place over the course of six weeks during the summer of 1969 in what we now know as Marcus Garvey Park. Performances featured Nina Simone, Sly & the Family Stone, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Mahalia Jackson, B.B. King, The 5th Dimension and more.
Summer of Soul is currently streaming exclusively on Hulu. Watch the trailer below.