Daptone Records, the venerated funk and soul label responsible for releases by Sharon Jones, Charles Bradley and others, has announced big plans for its 100th 45rpm record, with the label bringing together its all-star roster of musicians for two tracks.
The A-side features Hey Brother (Do Unto Others), a song written by the Frightnrs, while the B-side houses The 100 Knights Orchestras Soul Fugue. Hey Brother features Charles Bradley, Sharon Jones, Naomi Shelton, Antibalas Amayo and Saun & Starr, among others. The Frightnrs originally performed the track on 2016s Nothing More to Say, which was released shortly after the death of singer Dan Klein, who succumbed to ALS in June 2016.
Daptone felt it would be a fitting tribute to re-imagine the tune as a soulful collaboration between the dynamic vocalists on the label, the acclaimed independent soul label said in a statement. What started as a thank you to the labels beloved fans has now also become a loving tribute to their lost Brothers and Sister: Charles Bradley, Dan Klein and our eternal Queen, Miss Sharon Jones.
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Soul Fugue comprises the B-side. For the 100 Knights Orchestra track, the massive ensemble includes every horn player the label has ever worked with, according to a statement. Composed and arranged by Daptones cofounder Bosco Mann, Soul Fugue was recorded on February 29th, 2016 and had been performed live at Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings final performance at Prospect Park Summerstage. The studio version for the 45 includes current and past members of the Dap-Kings, Antibalas, the Budos Band, Menahan Street Band, the Extraordinaires, the Soul Providers and the Daktaris.
The triumphant track features several Dap-Kings stalwarts: Dave Guy on first trumpet, drummer Homer Steinweiss and stage drummer Brian Wolfe as well as Ian Hendrickson-Smith on lead alto saxophone. Daptones 100th 45 will be available on June 28th via standard black vinyl, as a limited edition Daptone logo picture disc and as a digital single.