Dakah Hip-Hop Orchestra, an orchestra co-founded by Los Angeles composer and
conductor Geoff Gallegos in 1999, emerged from a wave of multidisciplinary
hip-hop collectives in the Los Angeles club scene. The orchestra initially
consisted of 23 musicians with diverse backgrounds, including saxophonist Matt
DeMerritt, multi-instrumentalist Gabby La La, viola player Ashley English Tobin,
and trombonist Elizabeth Lea. Their debut album, Unfinished Symphony, was
released in 2002, featuring a blend of orchestral arrangements and various
grooves. The group gained significant recognition ...