Wil-Dog Abers of Ozomatli:"I first heard Cymande in 1992. Cut Chemist made me a mix tape...When I first heard Dove, I went nuts. I never heard anything like it before. Cymande mixed so many styles and sounds. They laid the path for bands like Ozomatli.." 
Of all the bands mentioned in the previous Afro Rock posts (see links below), Cymande (means-Dove of Peace), is far and away my favorite. I have a hard time picking out songs for this band because so many are good. Formed by West Indians (Guyana, Jamaicia,St. Vincent), they recorded 3 albums for Chess records subsidiary Janus. The bulk of their classic material comes from the first 2 albums (Cymande, Second Time Around) recorded in England for producer John Schroeder in '73. The records didn't do much in England, but following on from the success of funk bands like Mandrill in the US, they did score an R&B hit in the US with The Message. That success lead to US tours with the likes of Al Green and the aforementioned Mandrill. Their third album, Promised Heights, was recorded as the band broke up. It has just been reissued, and isn't quite up to the standards of the first 2 (There are a couple a single disc collections and one double that do a decent job of distilling all 3 records). Cymande is what the Afro Rock scene was all about:fusion, taking Rasta Philosophy, Nyabinghi drum rhythms, incredible funk bass playing, horns, and Santana-esque guitars, and combining them into a super funky whole, that has inspired countless hip hoppers, Dj's, and groove afficianados. Here's The Message, and please see the super funky FUG and the Santanaesque slow jam DOVE in Comments. If you're in search of some new grooves please check out Cymande and these other fine artists who brought so much more than the funk. Previous Posts in the series:
"Kate's Osibisa"
"Mandrill"
"Lafayette Afro Rock Band"
"Cymande's Bra"
Comments (15)
Mc Solaar - Bouge De La