Manuel is a New Orleans native and acclaimed singer-lyricist. He toured with Terence Blanchard and Bill Summers, and Aaron Neville encouraged him to take the leap for his first live performance as a youth. His voice has been described as dramatic, warm, and full of soul. He is also an accomplished actor, writer, and sought-after voice-over talent, with roles in the New Orleans films Cane River and The Big Uneasy.
His album Love Happened to Me appeared on MAXJAZZ in 2000, and his 2019 album PM found him at his soulful R&B best, performing 12 original compositions. When drummer Adonis Rose — who had played on Love Happened to Me — found Manuel thinking about quitting performance, Rose talked him out of it, and the two made Unusual Suspects (Moocha Music, February 27, 2026), with arrangements by Manuel's longtime songwriting partner and musical director Michael Pellera.
On Unusual Suspects, Manuel brings scatting and Jon Hendricks-inspired vocalese to instrumentals he gave lyrics to — Lee Morgan's “Party Time” and Keith Jarrett's “Bop Be” — and sings ballads with a warm baritone reminiscent of Johnny Hartman, closing with the second-line groove of “Sixth Ward Strut.” In October 2026 he presented a new album at Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro.
