Funk band Cymande on music doc Getting It Back and finally getting recognition after years-long slog
Recent years have seen British soul-funk greats Cymnade achieve the recognition they richly deserve. Their new album should continue their winning streak
The classic Cymande line-up (from left) Pablo Gonsales, Patrick Patterson, Derrick Gibbs, Mike ‘Bami’ Rose, Steve Scipio, Sam Kelly. Image: BFI Archive
Last year was a busy one for British funk band Cymande. Getting it Back, Tim MacKenzie-Smith’s documentary charting their decades-long journey to worldwide recognition, was released in February, followed by screenings and Q&As around the UK and US, live gigs and, finally, a slot on Later… with Jools Holland. After 53 years of making music together, it was, inexplicably, their first ever appearance on UK TV.
The group formed in Balham, South London, in 1971. The children of Windrush immigrants, their music blended jazz, soul, rock and Caribbean influences against a backdrop of cold weather and racial tension. America was receptive – they reached the Billboard chart and toured with Al Green – but success in the UK eluded them and a long hiatus followed the release of their Promised Heights LP in 1974.
Many people who discovered their music in subsequent years, including several of those interviewed for Getting It Back, assumed they were American. The first time I heard Cymande’s music was in a record shop in Memphis. Founding members Steve Scipio and Patrick Patterson are still incredulous. “It’s surprising how people connect with the music but they didn’t realise the source,” Scipio tells me. “I think they all recognise now that we’re South London guys.”
Despite the wait, the band are humbled by the attention they’re finally receiving in the UK. “It’s great that our music, having come back after all this time, has garnered the audience and the amount of respect that it has done. Jools Holland’s show was ideal,” Patterson says.
Scipio agrees: “That we are now getting the recognition at home, it’s wonderful what’s happening now. People are really buying into the music. They’re buying into the history of the band. And there’s a connectedness with Jools also – he’s a South London man, isn’t he? Even though you have recognition abroad, to some extent, recognition at home is more important.”
With their home fanbase firmly established, Cymande are finally ready to release a new album, Renascence, which intends to pick up where Promised Heights left off. It’s being released on 31 January. Why ‘Renascence’?
“We wanted something that reflects where we are with this album, but at the same time there’s a connectedness with what has gone before,” says Scipio. “Renascence is the English spelling [of renaissance]. It captured very much what we were trying to do with this album.”
Sonically, Renascence has a depth to it that reflects the time taken over its construction. It feels warm and collaborative; the same easy, organic Cymande sound which has made their past releases so timelessly appealing. Standout tracks include the laid-back, early aughts hip-hop influenced Coltrane and How We Roll, featuring Soul II Soul’s Jazzie B, who spoke passionately about his love for the band in Getting It Back. The album sounds modern, reflecting current trends in UK jazz – bright, crisp production and an optimistic energy.
“We wanted to have the sound recognisably Cymande, but also, a more contemporary element to it,” Scipio explains.
Cymande’s sound has also evolved with the addition of new members and the departure of old ones. One moving story arc in Getting it Back follows original conga player Pablo Gonsales, as his decades long faith in the band’s eventual success is vindicated, just as his health begins to fail and he finally dies.
Many of the original members remain, however, and horns are now supplied by jazz luminaries Tony Kofi and Denys Baptiste. Keys player Adrian Reid, a fellow South Londoner known for performing with the likes of Courtney Pine, Chaka Khan and Chet Baker, has also joined the fold.
“I’m not sure that we actually set out deliberately to try to incorporate the Seventies sound,” Scipio tells me, regarding Renascence’s writing process. “I think that just materialised out of myself and Patrick mostly, and some of the music also had genesis from demos that were done in the 1970s that we brought forward and did some tinkering with.”
Cymande - Renascence. Coverart
The album’s artwork, too, reflects the band’s genesis. Even those unfamiliar with Cymande’s sound will likely recognise their striking illustrated album sleeves. Ghanaian-born, British-based artist Koby Martin has given the band’s aesthetic an update. “He was able to bridge the gap for us. There was almost a spiritual connection,” says Patterson.
A US tour is slated for February. And after that, what next? “Our health will dictate,” Scipio laughs. “But it’s still exciting to be touring. Not many people have this opportunity, I always reflect on that.” Patterson agrees. “We’re building and spreading the word. That is what 2025 is geared towards. And I suspect it will be very exciting.
Cymande’s new album Renascene will be released on 31 January on BMG and is available to pre-order now. Find out more about upcoming live dates.
