Cymande (pronounced Sah-mahn-day) were an eclectic band who released several albums throughout the early 1970s. The group was formed in 1971 in London, England by musicians from Guyana and Jamaica. The name Cymande is derived from a Calypso word for Dove, which symbolizes peace and love. Although underappreciated and woefully overlooked during their original tenure together, the fine early-'70s outfit Cymande was one of the first to merge African rhythms with rock, funk, reggae, and soul. Comprised of members who hailed from such exotic locales as Guyana, Jamaica, and St. Vincent, the nine-man lineup (who were all entirely self-taught) contained Steve Scipio (bass), Ray King (vocals, percussion), Derek Gibbs (alto/soprano), Pablo Gonsales (congas), Joey Dee (vocals, percussion), Peter Serreo (tenor), Sam Kelly (drums), Mike Rose (alto, flute, bongos), and Patrick Patterson (guitar). The band issued a total of three releases: 1972's self-titled debut (which spawned one of their best-known songs, "The Message," peaking at number 22 on the domestic R&B charts in 1974), 1973's Second Time Round, and 1974's Promised Heights -- before splitting up.
However, by the '90s, Cymande became the recipient of a strong cult following as another track from their debut, "Bra," was included on the soundtrack to Spike Lee's motion picture Crooklyn, and several of their songs were sampled by rap artists (including Raze, Master Ace, MC Solaar, De La Soul, DJ Kool, and the Fugees). Due to sudden interest in Cymande, a pair of compilations were issued --Cymande can now be seen as one of the most sophisticated of the funk acts that evolved in the early 1970s. Members of the band reunited for a performance in Brighton (UK) on May 19, 2006 during the UK Funk All-Stars night at the Corn Exchange. It formed part of the Brighton Festival 2006.
01 - The Message
02 - Brothers On The Slide
03 - Dove
04 - Bra
05 - Fug
06 - For Baby Woh
07 - Rickshaw
08 - Equitorial Forest
09 - Listen
10 - Getting It Back
11 - Anthracite
12 - Willy's Headache
13 - Genevieve
14 - Pon De Dungle
15 - Rastafarian Folk Song
16 - One More
17 - Zion I
Dear Rho,
ReplyDeleteWe’re Late For Class here. Thanks for your support in the past. We don’t pester our blogging buddies for space every time we release something. But, for #40 - a 2-CD best of called Another Collection, we thought we might ask. #40 is streaming and available for FREE download on our blog...
http://werelateforclass.blogspot.com/
You can post #40 Another Collection, if you’d like. We’ve even made it easy by creating a page with codes to our animated artwork and MP3 players so your readers can hear ALL of both CDs (listening on YOUR blog, not redirected). There’s even some text if you don’t want to bother writing it up. Just copy and paste whatever you want. Naturally, we’d be VERY thankful. And, in the future, when our species comes to rule this planet, your name will be on the protected scrolls so that no harm will come to you...
http://werelateforclass.blogspot.com/2007/04/codes-for-posting-40-another-collection.html
As Always... Thanks,
WLFC
Back in the day, (70's) I used to jam to Bra in the clubs. I burned up many dance floors to this tune!! Thanks for sharing.
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