Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on June 2010

The theme of a three-night concert dovetailing with the 1974 Ali-Foreman “Rumble in the Jungle” (beautifully chronicled in the 1996 Oscar-winner When We Were Kings) was black musicians from around the world returning to their African roots, as it were. Such absolute luminaries as James Brown, B.B. King, Miriam Makeba, Bill Withers and Celia Cruz converged on Zaire to join some serious local talent in knocking your socks off. Though it dwells overmuch on pedestrian concert-planning problems, this “black Woodstock” is well worth a look and a listen. This isn’t a movie; it’s a toe-tapping time capsule.