Olu Dara
b. 1941, Natchez, Mississippi, USA. Dara made his first public appearance at the age of seven, playing trumpet solos at the Natchez Woman's Auxiliary Club. As a child he also taught himself to play a number of other instruments, as well as act, dance, paint and carve wooden toys. He went to college in order to study music, but dropped out in 1959 to join the navy. For the next four years he travelled with the navy to Africa, Europe and the Caribbean, playing in marching bands and jazz groups and soaking up the local music wherever he went. Leaving the navy in 1963 he settled in New York and gave up music for eight years. He resumed his musical career in the early 70s, touring for a year as part of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and then working with musicians from New York's avant garde scene, including Sam Rivers, David Murray and Henry Threadgill. Since the early 80s Dara has performed his own material with two line-ups: the four-piece Natchezsippi Dance Band and the seven-piece Okra Orchestra. He has appeared on recordings by many artists including Taj Mahal, Material, Brian Eno, Cassandra Wilson and James "Blood" Ulmer.
Listen to Olu Dara
at Finetune.
Albums
- (2001) Neighborhoods
- (1998) From Natchez To New York
Top Tracks
- Okra
- Neighborhoods
- Jungle Jay
- Your Lips
- Kiane
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