Olu Dara

Olu Dara, born Charles Jones III in Louisville, Mississippi in 1941, is an American trumpeter, cornetist, guitarist and singer. He first became known as a jazz musician, playing alongside avant-garde musicians such as

Olu Dara, born Charles Jones III in Louisville, Mississippi in 1941, is an American trumpeter, cornetist, guitarist and singer. He first became known as a jazz musician, playing alongside avant-garde musicians such as David Murray and Henry Threadgill.

With his first album under his own name, 1998's In the World: From Natchez to New York, Dara revealed another aspect of his musical personality: the leader and singer of a band immersed in African-American tradition, playing a tropical mix of blues, folk, and jazz, with tinges of funk, African popular music and reggae. Neighborhoods, with guest appearances by Dr John and Cassandra Wilson, followed in a similar vein in 2001.