Umoja Orchestra
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Umoja Orchestra is a Gainesville, FL-based band whose music incorporates elements from afrobeat, jazz, funk, afro-cuban as well as traditional African and South American styles. The band's instrumentation is modeled closely to bands such as Fela Kuti's Africa 70 and the Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra. Umoja Orchestra is a strong presence in the Gainesville music scene and ever-growing. It is especially known for its energetic, crowd-pleasing, and dance-oriented live performances, usually selling out local venues and putting on specatular shows. The name "Umoja" comes from the Swahili word for "unity".
[edit] Members
- Sebastián López Velásquez: Guitar, Vocals, Charango
- Natalia Pérez: Vocals
- Michael Pedron: Bass
- Michael Claytor: Banjo, Percussion
- David Borenstein: Saxophone, Clarinet
- Irving Campbell: Saxophone
- Jason Prover: Trumpet
- Evan Hegarty: Trumpet
- Keegan Jerabek: Trumpet
- Evan Garfield: Drumset, Percussion
- Doug Fischer: Trombone
- Adam Finkelman: Timbales
- Scott Bihorel: Congas
- Scott Clayton: Guitar
- Paul Kronk: Guitar
