Manteca was born in the practise rooms of the UKZN Music Department in 2009 as an extra elective lesson on Authentic Latin Rhythms. Our debut performance was at the UKZN Centre for Jazz's annual Jazz Jol. The band then ventured off-campus and into KZN's filthy dance venues to inject some cultural authenticity into the local music and salsa dance scene. Manteca has developed over the years, changing between a 13-piece and an 8-piece lineup comprising a culturally diverse array of artists with a passion for the highly rhythmically charged art form of Afro Caribbean music (which itself is a combination of European classical and African musical traditions).

The band has performed at numerous corporate, cultural, and sporting events throughout KZN and Gauteng, including performances for Nedbank, StandardBank, Unilever, Tysons Property, The Comrades Marathon Green Mile, The EFF's tribute to Castro, and a well-received scripted and choreographed show at the Rhumbelow Theatre.

Manteca's worldview and identity are all about fusion and harmony. In our music and our eclectic band lineup, we reflect a blending of cultural identities. In movement and rhythm, our music brings all peoples together. We enjoy integrating and collaborating with different artistic and expressive disciplines such as Visual Art, Dance, Architecture, and Fashion, and have even inspired a series of 'Manteca Shirts' by renowned South African Fashion Designer Karen Monk-Klijnstra.We perform a heady combination of Salsa, Kizomba, Bachata, Rhumba, ChaCha Afro and Latin Jazz styles, as well as some traditional repertoire, popular radio melodies in the Afro-Latino vein, and a few well-loved South African favourites that really get the crowd going.

The band is also writing and arranging original music for the local festival scene.

The band consists with

On male vocals, Dr. Raul Vazques (Cuba),

Nosihe Zulu (South Africa) on female vocals,

On percussion, Jose Chemane (Mozambique),

Daniel Sheldon on Trumpet/Flugel Horn (Zimbabwe),

Avikar Maney (Canada) performs on Alto Sax/Flute.

Keyboards and guitar by Avinash Maney (Canada).

Bassist Monks Legette (SA) and

Tenor saxophonist Johan van der Molen (Netherlands).

Look for a Gig near you and bring your dance shoes.