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Soul Power unleashed in Toronto

3:49 p.m. · September 8, 2008 · by Jim Allen

If you watched When We Were Kings, the 1996 documentary centered around Muhammad Ali and George Foreman's famous 1974 bout in Zaire, you might have left thinking "Wait, wasn't there a big concert, too?" You were not alone; Jeffrey Levy-Hinte, who was an editor on the film, felt a huge sense of loss in the way the musical element of that event was under-utilized. Fortunately for us all, he did something about it. 

Soul Power, which recently premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, does indeed focus on that fabled concert. The lineup? James Brown, B.B. King, The Spinners, Bill Withers, Miriam Makeba, The Fania All-Stars (including Celia Cruz and Johnny Pacheco), and a batch of the best Zairean artists of the era. Drooling yet? Documenting not only the storied concert, but the drama surrounding it, Levy-Hinte just may have ended up with something that will be discussed in the same breath as the legendary Wattstax when the smoke clears. Theatrical release date? DVD? We're just as eager to find out as you are, stay tuned.