Brooklyn Funk Essentials

📸 [𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀] 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗹𝘆𝗻 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗸 𝗘𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘀 Funk essentiel ? Oui, mais pas que ! Aguerri à de nombreux styles musicaux, cette formation new-yorkaise est un kaléidoscope où les miroirs se renvoient des références diverses et variées. Dans la galaxie de ces groupes qui entreprennent sur scène ou sur disque leur pèlerinage aux fondamentaux de la Great Black Music, les @brooklynfunkessentials ont planté leur autel, à la fois lieu de vénération et gardien de la flamme. Mais l’époque est transgressive et les générations réclament le frisson propre à leur tribu. Le groupe soigne donc son oecuménisme en refusant l’ostracisme musical : en fait de funk « essentiel », ses membres actuels, emmenés par l’un de ses fondateurs —le bassiste Lati Kronlund— franchissent allègrement les barrières pour nous emmener vers le jazz, le hip-hop, la soul, le disco, ou encore le reggae, l’afro beat, la pop et quelques incursions orientales toutes marquées par un optimisme tressautant. Une sorte de groove multicolore qui donne au style historique sa définition la plus accueillante et se retourne dans un sablier sans fin... 𝗣𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗼𝘀 © @sabathe_laurent #jazz #marciac #jazzinmarciac #jazzinmarciac2026 #brooklynfunkessentials

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Yancy Drew was Brooklyn Funk Essentials’ first drummer. He played on the band’s debut club date in early 1994 at AKA on West Houston Street in New York. He wore his Crimson red poncho that night. Andrea Davis took his picture which ended up on the back of the original Dorado Records release of the Cool & Steady & Easy album later that year. Yancy looked cool. He played a pretty steady fatback and was always easy going. He loved goofing around and cracking jokes. His smokey slapstick midnight radio DJ voice can be heard on BFE tracks like Big Apple Boogaloo, Mizz Bed-Stuy and Kik It! But he also had a tender tenor vocal as featured on Keep It Together on the 1998 In The Buzzbag album where he is duetting with Stephanie McKay. A song he also co-wrote. But more than anything, Yancy loved playing the drums. This was apparent from his big smile while grooving away. It was impossible not to be infected by this joy, either as a fellow band member or part of the audience. Check out Yancy’s pocket on I Got Cash, Date With Baby or his swirling Drum & Bass infused groove on By & Bye.
In the ’00s, health issues meant that Yancy could not always tour with BFE, but he continued to record with the band, playing on 2008’s Watcha Playin’ album as well as on the song Hold It Down from the Funk Ain’t Ova album in 2015.
Yancy Drew Lambert passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on July 4, 2026. His last wish was for those who knew and loved him to celebrate the good times and memories and not be sad for that which we cannot control.
Rest in forever gold, Yancy ❤️☮️🙂
Picture by Andrea Davis Kronlund from the Creator Has A Master Plan video shoot in Joshua Tree, California in 1995.

Interview avec BFE dans Artistik Rezo cette semaine. 😉

Brooklyn Funk Essentials : le funk comme langage universel - Artistikrezo Composé de musiciens venus des quatre coins du globe, le groupe Brooklyn Funk Essentials s’est imposé comme une redoutable machine à danser. Depuis bientôt trois décennies, le groupe tricote un patchwork aux couleurs multiples : be-bop, funk, boogaloo, hip-hop et tissus exotiques… et surtou...

We got stock of the new Black Butterfly album on vinyl and CD as well as the new butterfly Ts. Check out the shop on our website.

'Black Butterfly' is finally here. Please join us for an album listening party at Bandcamp on Wednesday May 13. Link here:

Black Butterfly Listening Party Listening Party from Brooklyn Funk Essentials.