Cymande at Brooklyn Bowl
spiritual… versatile…smooth, sweet and very different
Tuesday, June 14th
Brooklyn Bowl: 61 Wythe Avenue11249, Brooklyn, NY
Described as “spiritual… versatile…smooth, sweet and very different”, no-one has yet to sum up the unique sound of Cymande in one simple word or phrase. Nyah-Rock, Afro-Rock, even Calypso Rock have been used to categorise their music, but Cymande is just simply Cymande. Formed over 40 years ago by Steve Scipio and Patrick Patterson, the band was made up of nine self-taught Caribbean born, London based musician/singers:
Steve Scipio (Bass, vocals)
Sam Kelly (Drums)
Pablo Gonsales (Percussion, vocals)
Joey Dee, Ray King & Jimmy Lindsay (Vocals)
Patrick Patterson (Guitar, vocals)
Mike Rose (Sax, flute, percussion)
Derek Gibbs (Alto sax)
Peter Serreo & Desmond Atwell (tenor saxes)
Joey Dee replaced Ray King for the recording of the three albums, with the exception of the song titled Getting It Back. Jimmy Lindsay joined the band for the recording of the latter half of the third album ‘Promised Heights’ in place of Joey Dee. Desmond Atwell joined the band for the recording of the second and third albums in place of Peter Serreo.
Cymande’s longevity and success has been achieved by its totally original style and exclusively self-penned songs, welding together the diverse strands of reggae and Rastafarian rhythms with funk, soul, R&B, jazz, rock, African music and West Indian folk the band grew up with. The Music of Cymande conveys a true spirit of togetherness reflected in the band’s emblem which incorporates a dove symbolizing peace and love.
