'Soul to Soul' DVD shows the heart of historic Ghana concert

In March 1971 a planeload of American musicians landed in Ghana to take part in a concert celebrating the African nation's independence day. A crowd of 100,000 attended the 14-hour event, which featured artists including Ike & Tina Turner, the Staple Singers, the Voices of East Harlem, Wilson Pickett and Santana, as well as local performers.

Dubbed Soul to Soul, the event celebrated the mutual musical influences between Africa and the Americas, and was captured on a feature film and soundtrack LP.


Both have been out of circulation for decades, but the recent DVD/CD package Soul to Soul brings back this largely forgotten treasure.


The film opens with a stunning performance of the title track by Ike & Tina and the Ikettes, whose music and dance routines were a big hit. Ike pulls out his blues tricks on I Smell Trouble, and the pair takes the crowd to New Orleans on Ooh Poo Pah Doo. The political overtones of the concert are reflected in some song selections, including When Will We Be Paid by the Staple Singers and The Price You Gotta Pay to Be Free by soul-jazzmen Eddie Harris and Les McCann.

To his great surprise, Wilson Pickett discovered that he was a celebrity in Ghana, and wowed his fans with In The Midnight Hour and Land of A Thousand Dances. Much of the film's appeal is found in following the artists on their "off" days, visiting markets, traditional performances, and, most poignantly, a slave castle.


DVD extras include commentary from many performers on the dramatic emotional impact of the event, while the package is worth picking up if only for Ike and Tina's stunning performance of Otis Redding's I've Been Loving You Too Long.