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I make sense

Missives on media, marketing and more. Edited by Amar Patel

November 4, 2022

Brothers on the rise

by Amar Patel in film, music


picture of Black British band Cymande who rose to prominence in the 70s with their fusion of funk, soul, jazz and Rasta rhythms
picture of Black British band Cymande who rose to prominence in the 70s with their fusion of funk, soul, jazz and Rasta rhythms

If there’s one message to take away from the documentary Getting It Back – let’s call it an enduring feeling – then try gratitude. For the power of music to bring people together in a moment, for a generation, across different generations.

It may not happen when or how we expect it to, but there is an inevitability to greatness. And how we get there is the engine of a good story. Cymande’s tale is an uplifting one but it doesn’t shy away from the realities of their time or any time in life.

Worldwide recognition eluded the nyah-rock brotherhood in the 70s, particularly in a post-Windrush Britain blighted by racial division and police harassment. Yet their spiritually fortified rhythms and positive messages created undeniable ripples through popular music, as we later find out in this documentary.

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Amar Patel

TAGS: Getting It Back, Cymande documentary, nyah-rock, Windrush Generation, Kevin Le Gendre, The Fugees, The Score sample, Diamond D, Wyclef, Patrick Patterson, My Morning Jacket, Jim Jones, John Schroeder producer, Al Green, Jerry Butler, Harlem Apollo, Pablo Gonsales, Mike Bami Rose, Steve Scipio, Jazz Warriors, Bra sample, Dj Jazzy Jay, Ruthless Rap Assassins, Raze house, Jazzie B, Norman Jay, Peanut Butter Wolf, Masta Ace, Prince Paul, De La Soul 'Change in Speak' sample, Tim Mackenzie-Smith, Matt Wyllie, Anthony Joshua: The Road to Klitschko, Derek Gibbs saxophonist, Ray Carless, Trevor Audley White, Cut Chemist, Doc'n Roll Festival, DJ Hollywood, Nicky Siano, Getting It Back documentary