Listen to a short clip of Drop Trio & Solange's track "Freedom":

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Drop Trio produces original track for Solange Knowles

Johnson Family Vacation soundtrack features the music of Houston's instrumental funk jazz trio

April 6, 2004 | Houston, TX

Music World Music, the record label of Beyoncé Knowles and Destiny's Child, has selected a track by Houston jazz funk band Drop Trio for a new song by rising star Solange Knowles. Solange, 17, who released her first album Solo Star in 2003, saw Drop Trio performing at a local club in Houston and suggested co-writing a song. The result is "Freedom," with lyrics and melody by Solange and instrumental tracks composed and recorded by Drop Trio.

"We're really honored," said Mike Blattel, drummer for Drop Trio. "It's a nice collaboration ... the music we've been doing is different from most things you hear on the radio, no doubt. But Solange brings a whole new dimension to it, opens it up to lots of people who normally wouldn't listen to 'jazz.' "

The song will be used on the soundtrack for an upcoming feature film, The Johnson Family Vacation, which opens on April 7, and stars Solange, Cedric the Entertainer, Vanessa Williams, Steve Harvey, and Bow Wow, among others. The soundtrack also features songs by Ashanti, Patti Labelle, and Barry White.

Though Drop Trio is just over a year old, they have gained much recognition locally and nationally. Keyboard player Ian Varley won the 2003 Houston Press Music Award for Best Keyboardist, and their debut recording, Big Dipper, won "Album of the Year" from Houston Calling online magazine. Additionally, the band was selected as a showcasing artist at this year's South by Southwest Music Conference. They are currently finishing work on their next project, Leap, a completely improvised album recorded on Feb. 29 (leap day), to be released later this year.