bell manor park
thursday, august 18, 2022

summer of soul

With the short film Whatever Happened to Jackie Shane?

For some, 1969 was the “Summer of Love,” but for the Black community it was a year of struggle and active fighting for civil rights. Mounted as an intentional demonstration of radical Black joy and love, the Harlem Cultural Festival was created that year in New York’s Mount Morris Park (now Marcus Garvey Park). Footage of this summer festival was buried for decades until Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, legendary band member of the Roots, brought the archival material back to the mainstream in his recent Oscar-winning feature Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised). This found-footage documentary features thrilling live performances by Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Sly & the Family Stone, Gladys Knight & the Pips, and more. This must-see concert doc is now a permanent fixture in Black History, to be shared with and enjoyed by many generations to come. 

The evening’s film programme is rounded out with the local short film Whatever Happened to Jackie Shane?, a gorgeously animated portrait of the titular Black, Queer, soul-singing, Nashville-born, Toronto-based musician who made waves in our local 1960s music scene. Jackie’s story was buried for decades, and only recently has been highlighted anew for music lovers to discover their long lost recordings.