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Olu Dara
Birth name Charles Jones III
Born (1941-01-12) January 12, 1941 (age 71)
Origin Natchez, Mississippi, United States
Genres Jazz
Occupations Musician
Instruments Vocals, guitar, cornet
Years active 1960s–present
Associated acts Nas, The Bravehearts
Website www.oludara.info

Olu Dara Jones (born Charles Jones III, Natchez, Mississippi,[1] January 12, 1941) is an American cornetist, guitarist and singer.

Contents

History [link]

Olu Dara first became known as a jazz musician, playing alongside avant-garde musicians such as David Murray, Henry Threadgill, Charles Brackeen, and Art Blakey.

His first album under his own name, 1998's In the World: From Natchez to New York, 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, jazz, and storytelling, with tinges of funk, African popular music and reggae. His second album Neighborhoods, with guest appearances by Dr John and Cassandra Wilson, followed in a similar vein.

Rapper Nas (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 on the track "Life's A Bitch" from Nas's debut album Illmatic in 1994 and on the song "Dance" from God's Son, a posthumous tribute to Anne Jones his former wife and Nas's mother . In 2004, his vocals and trumpet were featured on Nas's single "Bridging the Gap", and the title track from his album Street's Disciple. The song "Poppa Was A Player" off The Lost Tapes was inspired by Nas' childhood times around Olu Dara.

He was given the name "Olu Dara," which literally translated means "God is good," by a Yoruba 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 and Fairfax, Virginia during the 1990s.

Discography [link]

As leader [link]

As sideman [link]

With The Be Good Tanyas

  • Chinatown (2003) : Cornet on "Horses" and "Junkie Song"

With Dirty Dozen Brass Band

  • Medicated Magic (2002) : vocal on "Junko Partner"

With Julius Hemphill

With Brother Jack McDuff

With David Murray

With James Newton

  • The African Flower (1985)

With Don Pullen

With Henry Threadgill

With James Blood Ulmer

With Various Artists

With Cassandra Wilson

Featured compositions [link]

Songs With Nas [link]

References [link]

  1. ^ Carles, Philippe et al., Dictionnaire du jazz, Éditions Robert Lafont, Paris, 1994

https://wn.com/Olu_Dara

Podcasts:

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PLAYLIST TIME:

Jungle Jay

by: Olu Dara

[Nas]
Yeah
It's like a jungle
Makes me wonder
It's like a jungle
[Olu Dara]
JUNGLE!!
[Nas]
Yo, I have to look out
Everywhere I go
I have to turn around
Watch my back, watch my front
That's what it's all about
It's a jungle of the mind
There's a jungle when you hang
Where they bang
The world's so big yet so small
It's one block
Many die mentally before they reach what they wanted
I choose to get blunted
And cruise the One Hundred Twenty Fifth street
Music loud as hell in my jeep
Eyes meet people, strangers
Not thinkin' of danger
Amongst my people
Some I see through
But one guy stares
Maybe he thinks he knows me
Or maybe he's crazy
Killer, baller, dealer
Something he has he wants to show me
But I'm at this red light
Is it me or is he looking dead right
In my face?
As I pull the strap that I keep
Underneath the seat
Just in time
I was able to fled the scene
And leave him standing there
With his hands in the air
See, my life is green
Harlem to Queens
Triborough bridge packed with cars
Trucks, vans and cabs
They got this new EZ Pass Thing
Computer, taking over the cash thing
So as I drive home
I roll my window up
And my endo up in the same motion
See life is so full of surprises
And as I paid my toll
I drove to see my man
"What up kid, Dunn, brova?
Whats the deal?"
He said
"Everything's easy bro'er man
It's all real"
I said
"But what happened earlier
Why everybody outside?"
He said like
"Blue suits came runnin' through
And took thirty brothas for a ride
Yo, right after you left the Ave"
Yo, the same thing that's been going on
Since I was young in the past
Still goes on, how long will it last?
Gotta get strong fast
Out in the jungle
Jungle
That's how it is
Olu, got the music playing
Outside it ain't no playing
We just paying attention
Listening now to everything that's happening
Cause if it's on it's on
And it's always on
It's just like this song "Jungle"
What's gonna happen next out here
It's gettin' crazier, weirder
People losing spirituality, morality
What's happening
From Jazz B-Bop to Rappin'
It's all the same thing, a Black thing
A map thing, a world thing
Boy, girl thing
Woman, man, child
From Sweden to the Nile
To Australia, Europe
Africa to Venezuela
China, Japan
Everywhere you go understand
It's a jungle
The whole world
[Olu Dara]
Jungle
Jungle
JUNGLE!!




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