Summer of Soul
⁃ In the summer of 1969, Nina Simone performed at the Harlem cultural festival. Her performance was filmed and released in Questlove’s “Summer of Soul” documentary
⁃ Nina’s stage presence at the festival was a very moving one . She performed songs that uplifted the crowd with themes of black power and pride through her music and soulful voice
⁃ Her first song, “backlash blues,” expresses grievances toward the white man (Mr. Backlash) and how he treats black people while insinuating that some sort of revenge will come when Nina “gives him the blues”. This song touches the hearts of the audience with its intense relatability, eliciting feelings of passion and anger. her next song “to be young, gifted, and Black” sparked hope and instilled pride in the listeners with its uplifting message of black pride
⁃ She also engaged the crowd by somewhat including them in her performance. For example, during her recital of the “are you ready” poem by David Nelson, nina initiates a call-and-response interaction between her and the audience, where they respond to the question “Are you ready?”
⁃ Nina’s performance excited her audience and made them feel happiness in the politically intense climate created by the civil rights movement around that time. She was one of many artists who were able to unite the crowd with uplifting lyrics and powerful vocals
