The NUTA Jazz Band was a foundational and highly influential Tanzanian muziki wa dansi (dance music) orchestra, established in 1964. The band was created under the sponsorship of the National Union of Tanganyika (NUTA), which was the main Tanzanian trade union. This sponsorship model, where bands were financially supported by government or parastatal organizations and musicians were salaried employees, was pioneered by NUTA Jazz and became the standard for many prominent bands in the 1970s and 80s, including Vijana Jazz and Mlimani Park. NUTA Jazz was central to the development of the brass-centered, Congolese rumba-influenced Tanzanian sound, with notable early figures including trumpeter-singer Joseph Lusungu and saxophonist Mnenge Ramadhani.
The long-lived band underwent several name and personnel changes throughout its history, reflecting the shifting political and organizational structure of its trade union sponsor. In 1977, after a major split that saw talented members like Muhiddin Maalim, Abel Balthazar, and Hassani Bitchuka leave to form the rival DDC Mlimani Park Orchestra, the group changed its name to Juwata Jazz Band (Jumuiya ya Wafanyakazi Tanzania, the Swahili equivalent of NUTA). The name changed again in the 1990s to OTTU Jazz Band and later to Msondo Ngoma, which is the name it operates under today. Still active, it proudly holds the title of the oldest active dansi band in Tanzania, with the motto baba ya muziki ("father of music").