Acid-jazz collective
Brooklyn Funk Essentials was first conceived in 1993 by producer
Arthur Baker and bassist/musical director
Lati Kronlund; by the following year, the group was a staple of the New York City club scene, with early lineups also including singers
Joi Cardwell,
Sha-Key, and
Papa Dee, poets
Everton Sylvester and David Allen, DJ Jazzy Nice, keyboardist
Yuka Honda, (soon to co-found
Cibo Matto), trumpeter Bob Brachmann, trombonist Joshua Roseman, saxophonist
Paul Shapiro, drummer
Yancy Drew, and percussionist
E.J. Rodriguez.
Brooklyn Funk Essentials' debut album
Cool and Steady and Easy followed in the summer of 1994, scoring an underground hit with its rendition of
Pharoah Sanders' "The Creator Has a Master Plan"; when
Caldwell exited to mount a solo career, she was replaced by vocalist
Stephanie McKay.
In the Buzz Bag followed in 1998, and two years later, the group returned with
Make 'Em Like It. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide