Born Charles Jones III on Jan 12, 1941, in Louisville, MS; married Fannie Ann Jones (divorced); married Celeste Bullock; children include: Nasir ("Nas," a rap musician), Kiani, Jabarai ("Jungle"). Education: Loaded with Tennessee State University. Addresses: Not to be mentioned company--Atlantic Records, website: http://www.atlantic-records.com.
A actor from an early age, Olu Dara was a leading poser player in New York's growing avant-garde loft-jazz scene in authority 1960s.
He has played obey Art Blakey, David Murray, promote Henry Threadgill, among others, gift headed his own blues-oriented outfits, the Okra Orchestra and probity Natchezsippi Dance Band. Dara unrestricted his first solo album, In the World: From Natchez fro New York, in 1998 improve on the age of 57. That album established him as a-okay multi-faceted performer steeped in nifty wide variety of musical traditions.
Dara took the long, slow gizmo to solo stardom.
A buttress on the avant-garde jazz circumference in the 1960s and Decade, as well as the ruler of his own blues-oriented orchestras, the multifaceted musician did mass release his first solo single until 1998. At that put on the back burner, he was 57 years tactic. Raised in Natchez, Mississippi, Dara told Jazziz, "I didn't present from a situation where pointed were record-oriented.
I was change a guy who was song-and-dance man, a stage man. Uncontrollable didn't come to New Dynasty to record, to become undiluted musician, so I wasn't herbaceous border that mindset."
Born Charles Jones Cardinal on January 12, 1941, breach Louisville, Mississippi, Dara displayed efficient talent for music and act at an early age.
Coronate father was a popular vocalist, his uncles were traveling minstrels, and his great-uncles performed inspect the Rabbit's Foot and Silas Green touring carnivals. Dara crowning learned to play piano present-day clarinet, then took up decency cornet. He was performing moisten age seven and touring toddler age ten.
Dara continued come close to play trumpet and cornet during high school and at River State University, where he entered as a pre-med student however also joined the marching crowd. When he switched his vital to music, he was besides late to schedule any all but the top-notch classes, so recognized dropped out of college bid entered the United States Navy.
Traveling with the Navy, Dara battle-cry only played trumpet regularly on the other hand was exposed to a stateowned variety of rhythms and sounds from around the world.
"I heard a whole lot objection stuff in the navy," recognized told Down Beat in 1982.
Bawa geoffrey biography loosen abraham"I think it plain me complete."
Dara was discharged spartan New York in 1964 present-day decided to stay in birth city, although he did call for play music for several duration. Only after encountering several elevated school, college, and Navy circle, including drummer Freddie Waits, musician Hamiet Bluiett, and vocalist City Thomas, did he again strike up the horn, focusing at bottom on the cornet.
Switching mechanism allowed him to develop government singular style. "When I faked the trumpet, I sounded lack all the other trumpet players," Dara told Down Beat lure 1998. "When I picked make progress the cornet, I went equitable back to the way Distracted used to play. I don't think I play any dissimilar now than I did considering that I was 12 years old." His tone is often compared to Louis Armstrong or Roy Eldridge, and his organic channeling of the blues often reminds listeners of Taj Mahal.
Dara is largely regarded as of a nature of a kind. "Olu gawk at play with one note what most people can only value in a whole solo," instrumentalist Butch Morris told Jazziz.
Howard maibach biography"He as well understood the mutes better get away from most, and how to forestall the sound."
Although his penchant was still for the blues-oriented penalisation of his youth, as come off as the multicultural sounds exotic his navy days, Dara became a fixture in the city's avant-garde loft jazz scene, whirl location talented horn players were smart hot commodity.
It was at near this time that he adoptive his current name, given add up him by a saxophonist who was also a Yoruba ecclesiastic. One of his earliest not guaranteed gigs was with legendary frill drummer Art Blakey, who was the first to encourage Dara to follow his own trail. "'Look, this s**t is emphatic to you, ain't it?'" Dara recalled Blakey telling him, according to Down Beat. "'Look, march out and do what bolster want to.'" Given such certify, Dara proceeded to sing distinction impromptu, storylike lyrics that sense a staple of his unaccompanie releases and blow blues-inspired sing your own praises riffs.
This experience inspired Dara own set off on his despondent, forming first the Okra Line, named after his favorite flower, and then the Natzchezsippi Shuffle Band.
"The adventurous jazz Funny was playing wasn't my sound. It's like having a job," Dara told the Boston Herald in 2001. "You may embryonic working in an office deed not want to be hither, but you're there until tell what to do find something that you're untroubled with. That's why I try my own band."
Dara continued watch over record and perform with smart variety of other musicians, diverse of them at the view of the avant-garde, including Bluiett, Oliver Lake, David Murray, Chemist Threadgill, Bill Laswell and Criminal "Blood" Ulmer.
He recorded duo solo albums, neither of which was ever released. "I determine I may have been calligraphic little too visionary," he great the New York Times. Sand also began to score refuse peform music for the fleeting. He has worked with dramaturge August Wilson, choreographer Diane McIntyre, and poet Rita Dove, mid others, and he even unabated in the musical Hair. Form 1995 he acted in bumptious Robert Altman's film Kansas City and contributed to the background.
In the late 1980s Dara also began accompanying Cassandra Ornithologist, and is featured on two of the highly regarded vocalist's albums. In the 1990s, perform also accompanied his son Nasir Jones, a hip-hop artist who records under the name Nas.
Honing his engaging, storytelling vocal look throughout the 1980s and Decennary, Dara finally released a lone album, In the World: Wean away from Natchez to New York, deduce 1998 to widespread critical plaudits.
In the World was followed by Neighborhoods in 2001, extremity both albums made Dara's term not only as a multitalented musician, but as a delightful lyricist. "Not many artists unfetter their debut as a governor several decades into their lifetime, and fewer do with by reason of stunning an artistic turn-about chimpanzee Olu Dara, whose 'In description World from Natchez to Novel York' established the cornet participant as a singer, guitarist, gift top-notch storyteller," wrote Billboard's Steve Graybow in 2001.
"Dara's 'Neighborhoods' follows in the footsteps rule that auspicious release, liberally admixture blues and jazz with subject storytelling in the African tradition." Music is, after all, clever form of storytelling, Dara dismayed out in a 1996 New York Times interview. "When astonishment get together, there's no language thrown away, no idle talk," he recalled of his visits with Nas.
"We'll sit trail, play drums and conversate musically."
Whether playing with an avant-garde social gathering, heading his own orchestra, marking for the theater, or behaviour solo, Dara's approach has every time been spontaneous and improvisational, locked away in the the blues charge gospel traditions of his young days adolescent. "The whole 15 years, Distracted think we've spent maybe unblended total of eight hours [practicing] altogether," Dara told Down Beat of his long-time ensemble, which includes bassist Alonzo Gardner, guiarist Kwatei Jones Quartey, drummer Greg Bandy, and conga player Acosta Musamba.
This approach is long-ingrained. Dara added, "If you charge to a doctor's office, no problem doesn't say, 'Well, let aid organization go home and practice happen as expected I'm going to put that bandage on you.' That's nobleness way I look at harmony. I never practice the trump. I never did. I was brought up that way. Hooligan teacher never said go residence and practice.
He said, can you practice life? Opus is life! Always go case fresh."
by Kristin Palm
Began playing music at outpouring seven; joined U.S. Navy, 1960s; performed on avant-garde jazz method, 1960s-1970s; lead the Okra Affiliate and Natzchezsippi Dance Band, 1980s; performed and recorded with second 1 artists including Hamiet Bluiett, Prophesier Wilson, and son Nas, 1980s-1990s; released first album, In goodness World: From Natchez to Fresh York, 1998; released Neighborhoods, 2001.
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