Umoja Orchestra

Umoja Orchestra

The Umoja Orchestra is a Gainesville, FL-based band whose music incorporates elements from afrobeat, jazz, funk, afro-cuban as well as traditional African, Caribbean and South American styles, like salsa and merengue. The band's instrumentation is modeled closely to bands such as Fela Kuti's Africa 70 and the Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra.

Umoja Orchestra was, and still is, a strong presence in the Gainesville music scene and is ever-growing. It is especially known for its energetic, crowd-pleasing, and dance-oriented live performances, usually selling out local venues and putting on spectacular shows. They have gone on three national tours, mostly through the East Coast, but as far as Texas. The name "Umoja" comes from the Swahili word for "unity".

The band is currently in hiatus, with some members in New York, Texas, California and Florida, but there are plans to regroup and continue their musical career.