Biography
“A local treasure,” said the late Eric Paulsen, former anchor of WWL Louisiana’s top rated morning show in New Orleans. “Phillip is in a class by himself,” this from Richard Bourcier of Jazz at a Glance. The San Francisco Chronicle wrote, “Manuel sang the wordless melody as if it were a prayer.”
From New York to Los Angeles and from Portugal to Paris, Phillip Manuel has graced the worlds’ stages with some of the biggest stars in jazz. His voice has been described as dramatic, warm and full of soul. One critic said his voice charms and seduces and his range sounds effortless.
To say that Phillip’s talents are diverse is to state the obvious. He is also an actor, writer and voice over talent. Musically, performances attest to his unique ability to cross genres without missing a beat. His PM album, for example, found him at his soulful R&B best, performing 12 original compositions. A concert with the Mobile Symphony Orchestra featured Phillip singing American classics in a program entitled “Songs of the South.” He performed Duke Ellington’s Sacred Mass at St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans. Phillip has wowed audiences with his Nat “King” Cole retrospective and his swinging Beatles tribute. He has also performed classical pieces, including Dawn in the Floating City, an opera by New Orleans composer Jay Weigle.
In a further test of his talents, on a world tour with trumpeter and film composer Terence Blanchard, Phillip sang the entire tour in Portuguese. The following year, Phillip accompanied Blanchard on tour following his Sony release, an album of Negro Spirituals featuring classical vocalist Jubilant Sykes.
Phillip’s thespian abilities garnered him a lead role in the bebop opera, Lulu, featuring the music of jazz great Jon Faddis and the libretto of MacArthur Genius Award Winner, Lee Breur. And in 2004 Phillip was nominated for a best actor “Big Easy” Award for his performance as ground-breaking vaudevillian Bert Williams in the two-man play, Williams and Walker.
Born Singing
Looking back, Phillip says he feels fortunate not having to make the decision about what his career path would be. "I was born a singer," says Phillip. "And, I come from a long line of them, my father being the most gifted of them all.”
While Phillip counts many singers with inspiring him, he says his ultimate role model is his father. “Listening to him taught me a lot about subtlety and understatement. He also gave me a daily example of how powerful and compelling singing could be."
Phillip says his father’s voice was so sweet and soulful that people would literally stop in their tracks when he sang. "We sang at home, at the neighborhood store – I'd sing for my dad's friends, whenever. We were always singing."
If coming from a gene pool of highly talented singers wasn't enough, Phillip was fortunate to grow up on the same block with the Neville family. "After my father, Aaron was really my first mentor," said Phillip, talking about the legendary Aaron Neville. In fact, Manuel says his first wife and Neville’s late wife, Joel, were sisters. "Aaron used to love to hear me sing Jackie Wilson's version of Danny Boy. I had a really high voice when I was younger, and I could hit all the notes."
Establishing a Career
Phillip recorded his first record when he was 16, called Will you marry me girl?. It was around this time that Phillip would meet famed New Orleans songwriter and producer Allen Toussaint, who began to use him as a background vocalist on various projects. "One of my favorite memories is spending a good portion of a month working with Patti Labelle on a record that Allen Toussaint was producing.” Phillip would go on to work with Toussaint and other artists like Fats Domino, Dr. John and the Meters.
In 1982, Phillip was chosen to arrange, produce and sing the soundtrack for the motion picture, Cane River, filmed in New Orleans. Initially, the movie enjoyed modest success, but the soundtrack, with songs written by the late Leroy Glover, received rave reviews and brightened Phillip's already shining star.
Phillip would record his first jazz album in 1992 for the AFO label. A Time for Love featured the all-star New Orleans group, the Astral Project.
In 1996, Manuel received a call from trumpeter and film composer Terence Blanchard. Phillip would subsequently be featured on two world tours with Blanchard. and would go on to work with Nicholas Payton, Ellis Marsalis, Jon Hendricks and a host of other jazz greats.
In 1999, Phillip recorded and released his Christmas classic album, Swinging in the Holidays. His work with Blanchard and his growing body of recordings soon caught the ear of the MAXJAZZ label out of St. Louis. He signed with the label and In 2001 released the much acclaimed Love Happened to Me. Phillip’s 2008 release, PM, features 12 original songs in the Contemporary R&B genre. The first single charted at number 17 on the Internet’s Soul and Blues Report.
Exploring Creative Talents
A self-proclaimed “portfolio person,” Phillip continues to explore his creative talents across a wide spectrum of pursuits. As a creative consultant, he regularly writes and produces radio and television commercials. His songs have been featured in the HBO series Treme, CBS’s NCIS New Orleans and in The Color of Courage, a made-for-TV movie.
Phillip is a sought-after narrator and voice talent who can be heard on video productions and local and national radio and television commercials. His first love, though, will always be singing, and he continues to perform around the world.