Soul Power: The Music of Zaire ’74

Just about everything that could go wrong logistically for the Zaire ’74 concert event, did go wrong, but the musicians still brought their A-game. Originally conceived to coincide with the “Rumble in the Jungle” title fight between George Foreman and Muhammad Ali, the show had to go on, even when the bout was postponed due to injury. Drawing from the same extensive footage that ultimately produced Leon Gast’s Academy Award-winning When We Were Kings, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte’s concert documentary Soul Power (trailer here), finally reaches American theater screens this Friday, nearly thirty-five years after the historic musical extravaganza.

The Zaire ’74 concert was organized by record producer Stewart Levine and his friend and partner, South African pop-jazz trumpeter Hugh Masekela (who strangely makes only furtive appearances in Soul). According to Masekela’s memoir Still Grazing, there were some decidedly diva-like moments with many of the artists, but Levy-Hinte clearly chose scenes which accentuate the positive. Many musicians, like Bill Withers, regarded the trip to Zaire as a spiritual and musical pilgrimage, or a homecoming to the native-land they had never known.

In general, Gast’s film concentrates on the boxers and Levy-Hinte’s film focuses on the musicians, but Ali still finds his way into Soul, since the musicians often sought him out. However, James Brown emerges as the film’s dominant figure, through the force of his personality in candid interview segments and his songs, like “Soul Power” and “Say it Loud,” which perfectly express the concert’s pan-Afro-Diasporic concept.

There is some stirring music recorded in Soul, with many of the highlights coming from unexpected sources. Celia Cruz and the Fania All-Stars brought their hot blend of salsa to the Kinshasa stadium for passionate performances of “Quimbara” and “Ponte Duro,” featuring smoking solos from Johnny Pacheco on flute and Ray Barretto on congas. The Crusaders (formerly known as the Jazz Crusaders) also turn in a surprisingly swinging rendition of “Put It Where You Want It,” showcasing Joe Sample’s pleasingly funky keyboard work. Yet perhaps the highlight comes from Zairian soukous innovator Tabu Ley Rochereau with the infectiously rhythmic “Seli-Ja.”

There were a few disappointments during Zaire ‘74, including the cancelation of Cameroonian jazz musician Manu Dibango’s set, but at least the Makossa Man is heard in Soul leading a group of children pied piper-like with his soprano sax. At times though, one feels there were missed opportunities for more cross-cultural exchanges during the concert. While B.B. King and James Brown were incapable of giving lackluster performances (and the Godfather of Soul seems truly inspired during his closing set), surely their fans have heard them play “The Thrill is Gone” and “Cold Sweat” on numerous occasions. Had they played with artists like Dibango or Rochereau on-stage, the results might have been magical.

Of course, Levy-Hinte had to work with the footage he had and the concert producers were probably just happy to hold the show together. From the three chaotic nights of music that rocked Kinshasa, the performances that made Soul’s cut are quite rousing, and were effectively captured by a team of cinematographers that included renowned documentarian Albert Maysles. Conceptually, the Zaire ’74 show was comparable to the 1971 Soul to Soul concert in Ghana (which is available on a deluxe DVD/CD set), but the Kinshasa concert arguably had a bigger line-up and more energized performances. Fans of soul music with an appreciation of Latin, jazz, blues, and African music will have plenty to snap their fingers to in Soul Power. It opens in New York this Friday (7/10) at the Lincoln Plaza and Sunshine Theaters.

Celia the Musical

The recent track record of Broadway jukebox musicals has been mixed, from the highly successful Jersey Boys to the short-lived Ring of Fire. Although New World Stages technically qualifies as Off-Broadway, it is very Broadway-like in the commercial nature of its productions. Their new entry into jukebox musical market, Celia: the Life and Music of Celia Cruz, which opened the 26th, succeeds largely due to its honesty and its faithfulness to her music.

Singing the songs of Cruz is Xiomara Laugart, and she is a natural fit for the role. Clearly, she can identify with the dramatic events of Cruz’s life, having, as the NY Daily News reports: “defected to the U.S. almost a decade ago without a penny in her pocket or a command of the English language, yet managed to resume her career and build a new life.” Laugart has a strong voice and demonstrates an affinity for the repertoire, including most of the favorite hits from Cruz’s career, including: “Quimbara,” “Guantanamera,” and “Yo Viviré (I Will Survive)”. She really is a powerful vocalist who wins over the audience immediately.

Laugart is supported by a fantastic Latin combo, seated on stage Chicago-style, up from the pit. They even get a wardrobe change during intermission, from tuxedos appropriate to the pre-revolutionary clubs of Havana, to seventies style flora prints.

Led by Isidro Infante, a veteran of bands led by Cruz, Tito Puente, and Machito, the Celia combo sounds like a much larger group than their seven pieces. As the orchestrator and musical director, he gets the music right. Percussionists Luisito and Robert Quintero, who have recorded with the Caribbean Jazz Project, keep a strong rhythmic pulse going. At one point, Luisito Quintero channels Tito Puente, showing off the drumstick-around-the-head orison. Unfortunately, Nelson Gonzalez’s tres is largely overwhelmed in the mix, as he has a very tasteful, but all too brief solo that left one wanting to hear more.

The drama is largely supplied by Modesto Lacén as Cruz’s widower husband Pedro Knight, telling his nurse (recording artist Pedro Capó) about life with his beloved Celia. It is basically a narrative framing device to keep the musical numbers in context, but Lacén’s Knight is still touching at times. Capó has some impressive numbers, and a few effective dramatic moments with Lacén, as well. Also, Wilson Mendieta’s depiction of Johnny Pacheco and his exuberant conducting style should amuse salsa fans.

To its credit, Celia the musical deals with the realities of the Castro regime and Cruz’s resulting exile directly and forthrightly. The book by Carmen Rivera & Candido Tirado makes it clear there would be no artistic freedom in Cuba after 1959. We see the corruption and arbitrary abuses of power from party bureaucrats and the suffering inflicted on musicians like Cruz and Knight. In one of the musical’s heaviest dramatic episodes, Celia portrays the pain Cruz felt when she was unable to attend her mother’s funeral due to Castro’s banishment decree.

Celia is well staged, nicely capturing the excitement of major events like the Fania All-Stars concert at Yankee Stadium. It deftly handles the trials of Cruz’s life, without dampening the joy of the music. There are only two English language performances each week—Saturdays at 5:00 and Sundays at 7:00. I attended the Saturday show, and if it representative of other shows, one can expect to feel a real collective spirit in an audience eager to express its love for Cruz (New World Stages also sells Sangria in the theater, which does not hurt the good vibe). Celia is an entertaining show that moves along at a good clip and features a great musical performance by Laugart in the title role. Her fans won’t be disappointed, and the music of Celia Cruz should win over anyone with open ears. (Read Val's reaction and his personal reflections on Celia Cruz here.)

Celia Media

The cast of Celia: The Life and Music of Celia Cruz had their press day yesterday in their new home, the second theater of New World Stages, the Off-Broadway theater complex. After a previously announced opening of September 12th, it is now set to officially launch September 26th. Coincidently, that debut will also mark the opening of the Smithsonian’s traveling Celia Cruz ¡Azúcar! exhibit at the Museo Alameda in San Antonio, the next leg of its tour. Cruz’s life and legacy look to be well remembered in 2007, just over five years after her death.

The set backdrop used for the event clearly evokes the Old Colonial Spanish architecture of Havana. As for the lead, Xiomara Laugart Sanchez looks well cast as Cruz. Celia will only have two English language performances each week—Saturdays at 5:00 and Sundays at 7:00. During the media session some reporters expressed surprise that there would be any English performances (which seemed odd, given that their interviews were in English). At one point Sanchez spoke of music having no country, and indeed, the music will be the crucial factor in making Celia a success. The fact that Latin music veteran Isidro Infante (who has worked with legends like Cruz, Tito Puente, and the great Machito) serves as musical director is a good sign. Celia’s band also includes former Cruz sideman Luisito Quintero, and Robert Quintero, who has played with the Caribbean Jazz Project. The appearances of Puente and Johnny Pacheco as minor characters are also encouraging factors.

The other crucial test for Celia will be its handling of her years in exile as a result of the rise of Castro’s dictatorship. Perhaps more than any other artist she represented the greatness of Cuba’s musical heritage, no longer welcome in its native land. Paquito D’Rivera devotes a full chapter to her importance in his memoir, writing:

“Celia was one of those special artists, who even away from her homeland became, without realizing it, the person most representative of Cuban national character, with all of its virtues and none of its vices. She tore down all types of racial and generational barriers and transcended all musical, political, sexual, and religious prejudices.” (p. 336-337)

With persistent rumors swirling about Castro’s health, it would be a fitting historical irony if Celia’s opening coincided with the death of the dictator. Regardless, Cruz was a true icon, deserving of a lavish stage tribute.