Daptone Records has just released its 100th 45-anniversary unprecedented collaboration of talent from its legendary roster of artists.
The A-side, “Hey Brother,” is a song written by The Frightnrs and originally performed on their acclaimed LP, Nothing More to Say. In the wake of the tragic loss of singer Dan Klein to ALS just before the album’s release, Daptone felt it would be a fitting tribute to re-imagine the tune as a soulful collaboration between the dynamic vocalists on the label.
“Hey Brother (Do Unto Others)” features the late great monarchs of the Daptone family, Charles Bradley and Sharon Jones, as well as Saun & Starr, the Frightnrs, James Hunter, Naomi Shelton, Duke Amayo and Lee Fields, singing a message of righteousness and brotherhood over a groove sewn seamlessly together by members of The Dap-Kings and Menahan Street Band. What started as a thank you to the label’s beloved fans has now also become a loving tribute to their lost Brothers and Sister: Charles Bradley, Dan Klein, Cliff Driver, and our eternal Queen, Miss Sharon Jones.
Label co-founder Gabriel Roth (AKA Bosco Mann) says, “We got all of our singers together, trading verses and lines and stuff. That’s the first thing that celebrates the family and the sound and our friends that we’ve been making records with for so long… Every one of those singers that I asked, after I explained what we were trying to do, they really jumped through hoops to try to make it happen.”
On the flip is “Soul Fugue” by The 100 Knights Orchestra, a massive ensemble comprised of every horn player the label has ever worked with (really!). Recorded on the rarest of days, February 29th, 2016, they all crammed into the studio simultaneously to perform the epic composition composed and arranged obsessively by Bosco Mann, based on the Fibonacci series and the number 100. Anyone who was lucky enough to catch Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings’ final performance at Prospect Park Summerstage was lucky enough to see/hear this stunning piece of music in real time.
“Soul Fugue” is an epic battle between two massive orchestral armies. From the left speaker, a battalion made up of all of Daptone’s many brass players is lead by the great Dave Guy on first trumpet to the beat of Dap-King legend Homer Steinweiss on drum set. From the right, all of their woodwind players charge into battle behind Ian Hendrickson-Smith on lead alto saxophone with Dap-Kings stage drummer Brian Wolfe pounding the kit. The 100 Knights Orchestra features current and past members of The Dap-Kings, Antibalas, The Budos Band, Menahan Street Band, The Extraordinaires, The Soul Providers and the Daktaris who all absolutely devoured this gargantuan instrumental in the studio.
The 100th 45 is available as a Standard Black Vinyl 45, and as a limited edition die-cut picture disc of their classic globe logo (available at the Daptone Web-Shop ONLY).
Listen to “Hey Brother (Do Unto Others)” and “Soul Fugue” above. Enjoy!
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