A very promising singer who is dedicated to jazz, Michelle Manzo has a warm voice, a four-octave range, she puts her heart into every word she sings, and she has a very individual sound.Born and raised in Miami, Michelle remembers hearing Cuban folkloric music while she was growing up. “Our family used to get together and play percussion instruments and chant; it was a spiritual thing. Michelle, who is mostly self-taught on piano, started off singing in church and in school. She sang show tunes and a capellas with her school’s choir, the Cavalier Singers. She traveled with the group to national competitions in Virginia and also performed in Pittsburgh and around Florida.After attending Miami Dade College for music and enrolling in the University of Miami School Of Music, in 2003 Michelle decided to move to New York.Michelle Manzo has performed at the Cape Cod Jazz Festival, Raue Performing Arts Center, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, The National Arts Club and sings regularly at the Zinc Bar and many other venues throughout New York. Among the musicians who she performs with are Ray Santos, Victor Jones, Gene Bertoncini, Les Paul, Ron Affif, Robert Rodriguez, Mike Rodriguez, Art Hirahara, Marco Panascia, Elias Bailey, Tommy Moromoto, Kim Clark and Dan Aran. She also has worked with Spanish rock, Salsa and Merengue groups . She won an award at a songwriter’s festival in Taiwan for a song that she wrote based on a Buddhist poem and was recently chosen to sing the world premiere of two new compositions by Dave and Iola Brubeck.Currently attending City College on a full scholarship, she is working towards a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts and Music and has plans to earn a Masters, Michelle looks towards the future with optimism. “I am very focused on growing as a singer, pianist, musician and as a composer. I’m working on original ideas that will mix together jazz, Latin and R&B. I want to add to the legacy of the music that I love.â€â€œMichelle Manzo, who has a very appealing voice and a real feel for jazz, clearly has a great future ahead of her. We’ll be hearing a lot from her.†– Scott Yanow, jazz journalist and author of nine books on jazz.
