EnsembleTropicale

EnsembleTropicale is a 6-piece band with a repertoire of Latin, Caribbean and African music, both original & re-arranged, and is made up of: –

Donald Lameyer – lead vocals, guitar, steelpan and percussion.
Donald is a solo artist in his own right as Donny J Styles, a Caribbean-styled steelpan player in the AfroTropica Steelband and a teacher with the Steelband Project. He has studied jazz guitar and steelpan.

Mariana del Carmen – lead vocals, guitar, steelpan and percussion.
Mariana is a UCT Drama graduate and having a Peruvian lineage, is fluent in Spanish and also sings in Portuguese. She performs solo and with her own band as MANA on the Cape Town jazz circuit, and is a vocalist in Paolo Costa’s Brazilian ensemble, Oceanico.

David Wickham – percussion, guitar, steelpan & bass guitar
David has been part of the Cape Town music scene for many years, playing Latin percussion in the legendary Truly Fully Hey Shoo Wow Band, The Loud Shirts and various Afro-Latin ensembles. he is a founder and co-ordinator of the Steelband Project and AfroTropica Steelband

Bridget Doyle – congas, bongos and percussion.
Bridget has been playing Latin percussion instruments for over 25 years, performing with the AfroTropica Steelband and the Latin-jazz band Joe Pressure.

David Erwin – lead guitar & backing vocals
David is the band’s secret weapon with his tasteful, blues-tinged guitar solos. His day gig is as a professor of Mathematics.

Luke Darnell – drumkit & bass guitar
Luke is a very talented and versatile musician, who has played in steelbands since the age of 7. He is currently studying music full-time at the Campus of Performing Arts in Salt River.

EnsembleTropicale performs a vibrant mix of original songs & standards from Brazil, the Caribbean and South Africa, featuring Spanish, Portuguese, Xhosa & Sotho lyrics. Highlights are Donald and Mariana’s vocal harmonies, rich percussion arrangements and the inclusion of the steelpan from Trinidad & Tobago in the Caribbean. The band is perfect for creating a sophisticated ambient mood as well as getting the audience onto the dancefloor.