Kumasi Afrobeat Orchestra is a talented group of New Orleans musicians who celebrate the Afrobeat traditions of Fela Kuti and Tony Allen through energetic live shows, a trio of albums, and numerous videos on YouTube and social media. Their performances blend infectious rhythms, call and response, and improvisation as they feature their own tunes – which call on themes of collective growth, positive change, and protest – along with deep-dive cuts from Fela Kuti, 1970s Afrofunk, and the African Diaspora, including Benin, Ghana, Cuba, Haiti, Brazil, and, of course, New Orleans.

Founded in 2014, Kumasi has earned a reputation for marathon sets in clubs and at festivals across the region, including French Quarter Festival, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, and Bayou Boogaloo. They’ve earned a Big Easy award for “Best World/Latin Group,” and have issued three albums, including the 2021 Live at Marigny Studios, which captures a taste of their exciting live performances with tunes like “Ochosi” and “Happy Family.”