Ray Barretto

When the film West Side Story was released in 1961, New York's reviled Puerto Rican community gained some visibility and, over time, both in Spanish Harlem and the Bronx, neighborhoods plagued by poverty, drugs and crime, Hispanic identity was reborn and strengthened, thanks to a syncretic and intentionally popular music that eventually conquered the entire city.

Em 1969, no mesmo verão em que ocorreu Woodstock, outro festival musical foi organizado no Harlem, em Nova York, para celebrar a música norte-americana e a história afro-americana. As imagens do concerto Harlem Cultural Festival, filmadas há 50 anos e inéditas até hoje, capturam um empolgante momento cultural nos Estados Unidos, embora subestimado historicamente. Entrevistas com artistas que participaram do evento são intercaladas com as apresentações de, entre outros, Stevie Wonder, Mahalia Jackson e Mavis Staples, Sly & the Family Stone e Nina Simone.

Sesame Street celebrated its 10th anniversary in the spring of 1979 with a half-hour PBS special hosted by James Earl Jones titled A Walking Tour of Sesame Street. The special aired on individual PBS stations at various times between March and May 1979. (Muppet Wiki)

Leon Gast's musical documentary reveals New York City's Latin culture and features live performances of salsa greats The Fania All Stars and The Spanish Speaking People of New York. A document of urban American Hispanic culture, Gast's film captures the rhythms of New York's Spanish Harlem, from illegal cockfights and Santeria rituals to the rooftops and backstreets of El Barrio and the legendary musicians performing at the Cheetah club.