Olu Dara

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Olu Dara (* 1941 in Natchez , Mississippi as Charles Jones III ) is an American jazz and crossover musician ( trumpet , cornet , harmonica , guitar , vocals ) and actor.

Live and act

After serving in the Navy, Dara moved to New York City in 1963 . He was named Olu Dara from a Yoruba priest. First he played in R&B bands, and around 1970 he was on tour with the musical Hair . Then he worked with Bill Barron , Carlos Garnett and Art Blakey . The loft jazz scene became aware of him in the mid-1970s; so he took part in the 1976 Wildflowers sessions . He combined the achievements of avant-garde jazz , a lyrical tone and traditional playing positions on the trumpet and cornet. In the early 1980s he worked in the groups of David Murray and Henry Threadgill . He also played with Oliver Lake , James Newton and Bill Laswell .

His first album In the World: From Natchez to New York was only released in 1998, it sounds like a colorful mixture of blues , folk music , jazz , reggae , traditional African music and a touch of funk . His second album, Neighborhoods , followed three years later , on which Dr. John and Cassandra Wilson appeared as guests. He has also been involved in recordings by James Blood Ulmer , Charles Brackeen , Kip Hanrahan , Julius Hemphill , Cassandra Wilson, Don Pullen and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band .

Rapper Nas is Olu Dara's son. They worked together on Na's debut album Illmatic and Street's Disciple . Since the 1990s, Olu Dara has also been active as an actor.

Discography

Chart positions
Explanation of the data
Singles
Bridging The Gap (with Nas )
  UK 18th 11/20/2004 (4 weeks)
  US 94 11/20/2004 (4 weeks)

Albums

  • 1998: In the World: From Natchez to New York
  • 2001: Neighborhoods

Lexigraphic entry

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Chart sources: UK US
personal data
SURNAME Dara, Olu
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Charles Jones III
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American musician
DATE OF BIRTH 1941
PLACE OF BIRTH Natchez , Mississippi , United States