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Olu Dara (born Charles Jones III in Natchez, Mississippi
Natchez, Mississippi

Natchez is the county seat of and the largest and only incorporated city within Adams County, Mississippi, Mississippi, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 18,464....
 on 12 January 1941) is an American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 cornetist, guitarist
Guitarist

A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may perform solo pieces or play with ensembles and bands of a wide variety of genres....
 and singer. He first became known as a jazz
Jazz

Jazz is a primarily American musical art form which originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of African and European music traditions....
 musician, playing alongside avant-garde
Avant-garde

Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English, to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
 musicians such as David Murray
David Murray (jazz musician)

David Murray is an American jazz musician. Murray plays mainly tenor saxophone and sometimes bass clarinet. He has recorded prolifically on a variety of labels since the mid-1970s....
, Henry Threadgill
Henry Threadgill

Henry Threadgill is an United States composer, saxophonist and flautist....
, and Art Blakey
Art Blakey

Arthur Blakey , born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Also known as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina, he was an United States jazz drummer and bandleader....
.

His first album under his own name, 1998's In the World: From Natchez to New York
In the World: From Natchez to New York

In the World: From Natchez to New York is the solo debut album by jazz cornetist Olu Dara. The album is not something that one might expect after hearing his previous jazz music....
, revealed another aspect of his musical personality: the leader and singer of a band immersed in African-American tradition, playing an eclectic mix of blues
Blues

Blues is a music genre based on the use of the blues chord progressions and the blue notes. Though several blues musical form s exist, the 12-bar blues chord progressions are the most frequently encountered....
, jazz, and storytelling
Folk music

Folk music can have a number of different meanings, including:* Traditional music: The original meaning of the term "folk music" was synonymous with the term "Traditional music", also often including World Music and Roots music; the term "Traditional music" was given its more specific meaning to distinguish it from the other definition...
, with tinges of funk
Funk

Funk is an United States Music genre that originated in the mid- to late-1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, soul jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music....
, African popular music and reggae
Reggae

Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s.While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Music of Jamaica, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady....
.






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Olu Dara (born Charles Jones III in Natchez, Mississippi
Natchez, Mississippi

Natchez is the county seat of and the largest and only incorporated city within Adams County, Mississippi, Mississippi, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 18,464....
 on 12 January 1941) is an American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 cornetist, guitarist
Guitarist

A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may perform solo pieces or play with ensembles and bands of a wide variety of genres....
 and singer. He first became known as a jazz
Jazz

Jazz is a primarily American musical art form which originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of African and European music traditions....
 musician, playing alongside avant-garde
Avant-garde

Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English, to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
 musicians such as David Murray
David Murray (jazz musician)

David Murray is an American jazz musician. Murray plays mainly tenor saxophone and sometimes bass clarinet. He has recorded prolifically on a variety of labels since the mid-1970s....
, Henry Threadgill
Henry Threadgill

Henry Threadgill is an United States composer, saxophonist and flautist....
, and Art Blakey
Art Blakey

Arthur Blakey , born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Also known as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina, he was an United States jazz drummer and bandleader....
.

His first album under his own name, 1998's In the World: From Natchez to New York
In the World: From Natchez to New York

In the World: From Natchez to New York is the solo debut album by jazz cornetist Olu Dara. The album is not something that one might expect after hearing his previous jazz music....
, revealed another aspect of his musical personality: the leader and singer of a band immersed in African-American tradition, playing an eclectic mix of blues
Blues

Blues is a music genre based on the use of the blues chord progressions and the blue notes. Though several blues musical form s exist, the 12-bar blues chord progressions are the most frequently encountered....
, jazz, and storytelling
Folk music

Folk music can have a number of different meanings, including:* Traditional music: The original meaning of the term "folk music" was synonymous with the term "Traditional music", also often including World Music and Roots music; the term "Traditional music" was given its more specific meaning to distinguish it from the other definition...
, with tinges of funk
Funk

Funk is an United States Music genre that originated in the mid- to late-1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, soul jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music....
, African popular music and reggae
Reggae

Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s.While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Music of Jamaica, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady....
. His second album Neighborhoods
Neighborhoods (album)

Neighborhoods is the second solo album by jazz cornetist Olu Dara....
, with guest appearances by Dr John and Cassandra Wilson
Cassandra Wilson

Cassandra Wilson is an American jazz musician, vocalist, songwriter, and producer from Jackson, Mississippi. She has won two Grammy Awards....
, followed in a similar vein.

Rapper Nas
Nas

Nasir Jones, , , better known by his stage name Nas, , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapping and actor. The son of jazz musician Olu Dara, he was born and raised in the Queensbridge, Queens housing projects in New York City....
 (Nasir Jones) is Dara's son. He encouraged his father to record the music he was playing with his band, and guested on "Jungle Jay" from In the World. Dara played the cornet
Cornet

Not to be confused with coronetThe cornet is a brass instrument very similar to the trumpet, distinguished by its conical Bore , compact shape, and mellower tone quality....
 on the track "Life's A Bitch
Life's a Bitch (song)

"Life's a B****" is the fourth single from Nas' debut album Illmatic. It was released as a 12-inch single on April 19 1994 by Columbia Records....
" from Nas's debut album Illmatic
Illmatic

Illmatic is the debut album of American Hip hop music rapper Nas, released April 19, 1994 on Columbia Records in the United States. Recording sessions for the album took place from 1992 to 1993 at Chung King Studios, D&D Studios, Battery Studios and Unique Recording Studios in New York City....
 in 1994. In 2004, his vocals and trumpet were featured on Nas's single "Bridging the Gap
Bridging the Gap (song)

"Bridging the Gap", the second single off of Nas' Street's Disciple features his father. It samples music from Muddy Waters' "Mannish Boy" composition....
", from his album Street's Disciple
Street's Disciple

Street's Disciple is the seventh studio album by American Hip hop music rapper Nas, released November 30, 2004 on Columbia Records. The album title was taken from Nas's first verse of "Live at the Barbeque", the Main Source song, which served as his debut appearance....
.

He was given the name "Olu Dara," which literally translated means "God is good," by a Yoruba
Yoruba people

Yoruba people are one of the largest ethno-linguistic group or ethnic groups in west Africa. The majority of the Yoruba speak the Yoruba language ....
 priest when he returned to America. Dara has traveled throughout Africa and Europe.

Dara is also an accomplished playwright and actor, staging Blues Rooms to strong acclaim in New York City
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
 and Fairfax, Virginia
Fairfax, Virginia

This article refers to the independent city of Fairfax, Va. For the surrounding unincorporated area of Fairfax County with a Fairfax postal address, please see Fairfax County, Virginia...
 during the 1990s.

Discography

  • In the World: From Natchez to New York
    In the World: From Natchez to New York

    In the World: From Natchez to New York is the solo debut album by jazz cornetist Olu Dara. The album is not something that one might expect after hearing his previous jazz music....
     (1998)
  • Neighborhoods
    Neighborhoods (album)

    Neighborhoods is the second solo album by jazz cornetist Olu Dara....
     (2001)


As a Sideman

  • David Murray
    David Murray (jazz musician)

    David Murray is an American jazz musician. Murray plays mainly tenor saxophone and sometimes bass clarinet. He has recorded prolifically on a variety of labels since the mid-1970s....
     - Flowers For Albert (1976)
  • James Blood Ulmer - Are You Glad To Be In America? (1980)
  • David Murray
    David Murray (jazz musician)

    David Murray is an American jazz musician. Murray plays mainly tenor saxophone and sometimes bass clarinet. He has recorded prolifically on a variety of labels since the mid-1970s....
     - Ming (1980), Home (1981)
  • Henry Threadgill
    Henry Threadgill

    Henry Threadgill is an United States composer, saxophonist and flautist....
     Sextet - When Was That? (1982), Just The Facts And Pass The Bucket (1983)
  • David Murray
    David Murray (jazz musician)

    David Murray is an American jazz musician. Murray plays mainly tenor saxophone and sometimes bass clarinet. He has recorded prolifically on a variety of labels since the mid-1970s....
     Big Band - Live At Sweet Basil Vol. 1 & 2 (1984)
  • Don Pullen
    Don Pullen

    Don Pullen was an American jazz pianist and organist.Don Pullen developed a strikingly individual style. He composed masterworks ranging from blues to bebop and modern jazz....
     - The Sixth Sense(1985)
  • James Newton
    James Newton

    James W. Newton is a prominent United States jazz flute, composer, and conductor....
     - The African Flower (1985)
  • Kansas City
    Kansas City (1996 film)

    Kansas City is a 1996 film, directed by Robert Altman, and featuring numerous jazz tracks. Jennifer Jason Leigh, Miranda Richardson, Harry Belafonte, and Steve Buscemi starred....
     Soundtrack (1995)
  • Dirty Dozen Brass Band
    Dirty Dozen Brass Band

    The Dirty Dozen Brass Band is a New Orleans, Louisiana, brass band. The ensemble was established in 1977 by Benny Jones together with members of the Tornado Brass Band....
     - Medicated Magic (2002) : vocal on "Junko Partner"


Featured Compositions

  • Cassandra Wilson
    Cassandra Wilson

    Cassandra Wilson is an American jazz musician, vocalist, songwriter, and producer from Jackson, Mississippi. She has won two Grammy Awards....
     - Days Aweigh (1987) : "Electromagnolia" (also with vocals and arrangement by Dara)
  • Henry Threadgill
    Henry Threadgill

    Henry Threadgill is an United States composer, saxophonist and flautist....
     Sextett - Easily Slip Into Another World (1987): "I Can't Wait Till I Get Home"
  • Bob Stewart - Goin' Home (1989): "Bell And Ponce"


Songs With Nas

  • "Bridging The Gap" (Street's Disciple
    Street's Disciple

    Street's Disciple is the seventh studio album by American Hip hop music rapper Nas, released November 30, 2004 on Columbia Records. The album title was taken from Nas's first verse of "Live at the Barbeque", the Main Source song, which served as his debut appearance....
    )
  • "Jungle Jay" (In the World: From Natchez to New York
    In the World: From Natchez to New York

    In the World: From Natchez to New York is the solo debut album by jazz cornetist Olu Dara. The album is not something that one might expect after hearing his previous jazz music....
    )
  • "Life's A Bitch" (Illmatic
    Illmatic

    Illmatic is the debut album of American Hip hop music rapper Nas, released April 19, 1994 on Columbia Records in the United States. Recording sessions for the album took place from 1992 to 1993 at Chung King Studios, D&D Studios, Battery Studios and Unique Recording Studios in New York City....
    )
  • "Street's Disciple" (Street's Disciple
    Street's Disciple

    Street's Disciple is the seventh studio album by American Hip hop music rapper Nas, released November 30, 2004 on Columbia Records. The album title was taken from Nas's first verse of "Live at the Barbeque", the Main Source song, which served as his debut appearance....
    )


The song "Poppa Was A Player" off Lost Tapes
Lost Tapes

Lost Tapes is a half-hour American Thriller documentary film and docufiction television series that aired a sneak preview on October 30, 2008 on Animal Planet for Halloween; then, officially premiered January 26, 2009....
 was inspired by Nas' childhood times around Olu Dara.