Maria Manousaki

Maria Manousaki stands as one of Greece’s most successful and versatile musical talents, working to great acclaim and commercial success as a violin performer and band leader. Maria’s musical style can be best categorised within the jazz and world music scene.

Maria Manousaki was born in Johannesburg of bicultural parentage, her base is in New York but the last few years she commutes between the island of Crete and New York.

Since her arrival in New York, Maria has performed alongside some of the worlds most renowned musicians and has released two outstanding albums:

• “Sole Voyage” which comprises her own original music and the excitingly unusual combinations of Cretan melodies woven into a tapestry of Jazz with Polyrhythmic Percussion. The album won the best jazz album at the “academia awards” in 2016
• Her latest album “Hidden Trails” was released in November 2021. Her inspiration for this album stems from her respect for those who, against all odds, stand up to an overpowering enemy In order to defend their freedom, beliefs and rights.

Maria Manousaki invokes images of traditional Cretan Folk melodies into which she weaves bursts of New York Jazz with middle eastern elements. Her multicultural and distinguished musicians add their own Ethnic color to her compositions. The result creates an ear fest of vibrant, dramatic and exhilarating sounds on the one hand, and expressive, melancholic melodies on the other.