(U)nity, Huntertones

(U)nity was conceived in the summer of2006 by Cuban American drummer Amaury Acosta & Cuban pianist Axel Tosca Laugart. Their vision was to create a sound that had never been done before, fusing Their Afro Cuban culture with modern jazz, R&B, gospel & hip hop. In fall 2008 they met French guitarist Michael Valeanu, and Minneapolis native bassist Christopher Smith, where they began playing and composing collectively. Since then they have performed extensively at West New York Music & Arts Festival, Nu Blu, ZincBar, Cachaca, Rose Live Music, Dizzy s Club Coca Cola, Avon Jazz Festival, Manhattan Plaza Music Fest, The Shrine, Sweet Rhythm, Fat Cat,The New Jersey Jazz Summit and Spike Hill. In January 2009 they hit the studio to recorded their first E.P. entitled (U)nity Is Power!! The session featured a heavy cast of well know and up and coming musicians including Luques Curtis, Pedrito Martinez, Roman Diaz, Haitian singer Melanie JB Charles, Puerto Rican bass giant John Benitez, Cuban Vocalist Xiomara Laugart, Casey Benjamin, Armando Gola ,Basil, Travis Antonie, Jamaal Sawyer, Rashan Carter, Lucas Pino, Mike McGaril, and others. The band is currently based in New York City and is planning on putting out a newly recorded album in March 2013 entitled 'Peace, Love & Music." (U)nity's performance at Evolve Music Collective will feature fantastic music from this upcoming release!


The Brooklyn-based band, Huntertones, is a unique voice in the world of genre-defying music. What started in 2010 as a six-piece instrumental group in Columbus, Ohio (DW6) has become an innovative ensemble propelled by the original music and adventurous arranging of Chris Ott, Dan White, and Jon Lampley. Their heavy horn-driven compositions meld jazz, funk, soul, hip hop, gospel, R&B, and rock to produce a signature sound that resonates with all types of audiences. The band’s mission is simple: create live music on real instruments that will often make you think and always make you move.

Notable Huntertones performances include appearances at festivals and venues in the U.S. and Canada including the Columbus Jazz and Rib Fest, the Rochester Jazz Festival, shows at Toronto’s Rex Jazz and Blues Bar, and The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Additionally, the group has opened for the Grammy Award winning music collective Snarky Puppy. The band continues to hold an active touring schedule of shows throughout the Midwest and East coast with plans of a West coast tour for early 2015.

Individually, Huntertones members have compiled a diverse resume of collaborations with top artists in the pop, jazz, soul, and musical theater worlds. This includes work with Ricky Martin, Allen Stone, O.A.R., Phillip Phillips, Red Baraat, Eric Krasno, Fred Wesley, Rashawn Ross, Hadden Sayers, Lew Soloff, the Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey; Tony winners Norbert Leo Butz and Lena Hall; jazz greats Sean Jones, Jeff Coffin, Tony Monaco, Byron Stripling, Bobby Floyd, Felix Pastorius, Christian Howes; and ensembles such as the Glenn Miller Orchestra, the national tour of Guys and Dolls, the Columbus Jazz Orchestra, the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra, and many others.