In the early years of dansi, the NUTA Jazz Band was very influential both artistically and in terms of financial organization; namely, it was one of the first dansi bands to constitute itself into a "cooperative" of salaried musicians (a model that would become widespread in the 1970s).
In 1977 it experienced a major change in personnel, with many of its most talented musicians (including Muhiddin Maalim and Hassani Bitchuka) leaving the band to form a new ensemble, Mlimani Park Orchestra.
Maalim is credited with one of the major hits of Juwata in the 1990s, Usia kwa watoto.
The band is still active as "Msondo Ngoma" (msondo being a Swahili drum[2]), performing regularly at the TCC Club in Temeke for example,[3] and is the oldest active dansi band in Tanzania.
This is reflected by its motto baba ya muziki, "father of music".