Director: Tim McKenzie-Smith

Despite their huge influence on soul, jazz and hip-hop on both sides of the Atlantic, British band Cymande are presently still best known mainly to seasoned crate diggers and rare groove aficionados. This documentary should introduce them to a bigger audience. Cymande (pronounced Si-Man-Day) formed in the early 70s in South London: the members had all arrived in the UK as children from the Caribbean as part of the Windrush generation. Led by guitarist Patrick Patterson and bassist Steve Scipio, the band’s sound incorporated jazz, funk and Caribbean music, their spacey vibe was one of spirituality and positivity. While their first three albums and hit songs ‘Bra’, ‘Dove’, and ‘The Message’ made a splash in the USA leading to a support slot for Al Green playing to audiences of 40,000, Cymande failed to make an impression in the UK and disillusioned they disbanded in 1975. Over a decade later, Cymande’s music was sampled by a range of Hip Hop acts including De La Soul, Wu-Tang Clan and The Fugees, introducing the band to a whole new generation. The renewed interest inspired a reunion tour. The film goes big on the influence their music had on famous fans via effusive interviews with British luminaries like Jazzie B, Norman Jay and Mark Ronson, with less time spent on band members’ stories which is a shame, particularly as they each went on to have fascinating careers, some in music, some in law. Nevertheless, this is a valuable document of one the UK’s most unheralded but seminal bands.

David Willoughby

Follow David on Twitter @DWill_Crackfilm