The most important black British group of their generation, a band so many people have heard, but yet not “heard of.”

In the early 1970’s in South London, a group of musicians, who all emigrated to the UK from the Caribbean as children, formed the group.  Led by Patrick Patterson (guitars, vocals) and Steve Scipio (bass, vocals) Cymande was so unique and ahead of its time that, notwithstanding the success in the States in the early ‘70s, it hasn’t been until recent years that the general public has truly begun to catch on.

Their first three albums combined jazz, funk, soul, and Caribbean grooves to create a unique sound of their own; music that was both political and spiritual. While they found success in the U.S, they received little interest in their UK home, and decided to take a break. That couple of years became almost forty.

However, their music lived on as new generations of artists discovered and reworked their pioneering sounds.  Over and over again, tracks from their albums were sampled by golden age hip-hop icons like De La Soul, The Fugees, MC Solaar, Masta Ace, EPMD, Gang Starr just to name a few.

Now, in 2025 they return to finish what they started.  The band’s new album (via BMG) Renascence is ten shots of purest Cymande. A true return to form and jewel in the crown of their iconic discography, it picks up where their 1974 album Promised Heights left off – a spiritual and sonic follow-up, bringing a fresh modern edge to their iconic sound.

Continuing to be led by its founding members Patterson & Scipio, Cymande now also comprises long time members Adrian Reid (keyboardist) and Raymond Simpson (vocalist), with the full complement of players being Richard Bailey (drums), Donald Gamble (percussion), Denys Baptiste (saxophone) Kevin Davy (trumpet) and Toni Kofi (saxophone).

Opening set by DJ Rich Medina.
Presented by Rhythm Foundation, in partnership with Dante’s HiFi.