Jul

Soul Power, The Concert, The Movie… The T-Shirts

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Africa, R&B, Rumble In The Jungle, Soul Power, Zaire 74, history, music history, music t-shirts, music tees

Miss Wit Designs have recently brought our attention to their licensed creation of their Zaire ‘74 concert tee, marking the release of a documentary that celebrates the legendary festival Zaire ‘74, made entirely using the original 1974 footage.

The legendary concert was brought to fruition by musician/producer and life long friends Hugh Masekela and Stewart Levine (Grazing In The Grass, Don’t Go Lose it Baby), the music festival gained a great deal of notoriety at the time after the involvement of all-time number one boxing promoter Don King to combine the event with ‚ÄúThe Rumble in the Jungle,‚Äù the epic fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman.

Alongside Zaire ‘74, the Soul Power t-shirt focuses on the experiences and performances of such musical luminaries as James Brown, BB King, Bill Withers, Celia Cruz, Miriam Makeba, The Spinners among a host of others. All artists involved inspired by the return to their African roots, as well as the enthusiasm of the Zairian audience, ensured that they gave the performances of their lives. Since then history has imbued the concert with an almost mythological status marking it as the most definitive Africa(n)-American musical event of the 20th Century.

For almost 35 years the footage has This footage has remained unused and unseen until the release of vaulted for the past 35 years, unused, unseen, until now. Soul Power will make debut its public theatrical release on Friday, July 10th, both in New York and LA after already winning the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature at the Los Angeles Film Festival. Filmed by some of the most celebrated documentary cinematographers of all-time including Albert Maysles (Gimme Shelter, Grey Gardens), Paul Goldsmith (Rust Never Sleeps), Kevin Keating (Harlan County USA), and Roderick Young (Wattstax), Miss Wit aims to bring attention to the event through the production of these two exclusive tees.

Zaire ‘74 uses the official artwork for the original concert, a 3 day long event in Kinshara, Zaire that featured some of the greatest R&B artists in history. Soul Power celebrates the release of the documentary which as mentioned uses unseen footage from the whole of the festival.

Unisex & Ladies Antique White T S to 2XL t-shirt $38 in antique white, or 100% Organic Jersey Cotton T The New Vintage Black or White, Unisex & Ladies $25. Shipping via USPS: $4.25 under $60 | $6.00 over $60 – allow 4 -10 days to receive your order.