Yemanya

Classical Marimba Band

A pianist, drummer, marimba player, violinist and cellist creates an aural composition unique to Yemanya, the birthchild of Marleze Smit. The idea of combining her passion for the classical piano along with violin, cello and drums came to her. She had a desire to make classical music more accessible to everyone and to create a groovy, global, glamorous fusion with touches of African influences.  French, Spanish and Argentinian melodies complemented by African rhythmic beats in a Buddha Bar-ish kind of vibe has become the niche of Yemanya’s  groundbreaking sound.

How did she get to this point?

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Marleze spent her earlier years competing and performing along with orchestras in a highly competitive environment. After years of successes Marleze decided to teach music looking to inspire and explore young talents of South Africa.

But the desire to perform was still strong within Marleze. After performing in some of Cape Town’s most beautiful settings and receiving much positive feedback for her solo performances, she decided it was time to start the Yemanya project.

Yemanya’s debut album was produced by Gabi le Roux (Kaleidosound) and Helmut Meijer (Helmut Meijer Music) in 2010/11 and shows off the sheer talent of their unique sound to a broader audience who are able to appreciate this work.

With a team as accomplished as Yemanya there is no doubt that they have all the ingredients for a great musical journey.