Olu Dara is a jazz innovator who has been described as "part band leader, part jazz soloist, part soul singer, and part West African storytelling bard." (Village Voice) Dara leads two New York groups that serve as backdrop to his bluesy humor and upbeat antics: the Okra Orchestra and the Natchezsippi Dance Band. Whether on cornet, harmonica or Tupperware, Dara's philosophy is to keep his approach to music within the traditions he learned as a child in Mississippi. He has recorded and performed with such talents as David Murray, Brian Eno, TaJ Mahal and Nona Hendrix.