Toby Foyeh & Orchestra Africa

Toby Foyeh and Orchestra Africa create a unique fusion of traditional Nigerian Yoruba music — including Highlife, Afro-beat, and folklore — with jazz, pop, and Latin music. Nigerian-born, U.S.-based guitarist Toby Foyeh composes and arranges, as well as sings with the backing female vocalists/dancers. Traditional African instruments such as gangan (talking drum) and kalimba (thumb piano) mix with keyboards, guitars, and percussion to give Orchestra Africa its powerful hybrid sound. The music expresses social situations in Africa, the natural elements, and more. It also attempts to convey present-day Africa as it finds itself in a global world of high technology and mass media and communications. While seeing themselves as guardians of African tradition and culture, the musicians are also explorers creating new musical horizons. This is one hot band that brings contemporary grooves into a swirl of colourful and exciting African music and dance.