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Henry Manetta and the Trip

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Henry Manetta (vocals), Adam Rudegeair (piano) , Adam Spiegl (bass), Ron Romero (saxophone) Sam Hall (drums).

From the Adelaide avant-blues band Precious Memories to Melbourne and the Trip, Henry has shared stages with Paul Kelly, Jo Camilleri, The Twoks, Harry Angus and Steve Sedergreen amongst others. He has performed in Bangkok with Alice Day and at The Rainbow Hotel for a memorable duet with Australian blues icon Wendy Saddington. Henry’s debut album ‘Shiver’ was recorded with a line up that included Australian jazz legends Bob Sedergreen and Geoff Kluke, and was released in 2001.

Henry met Adam Rudegeair at the now legendary Dizzy’s jam sessions and out of this musical marriage the Trip was born and Henry and Adam have remained the nucleus of the band, and the primary songwriters, through the last few years. The first Trip album ‘Bijou Box’ was released in 2004 and launched at Dizzy’s in Melbourne, The Governor Hindmarsh in Adelaide and Soup Plus in Sydney.

The Trip has opened for Renee Geyer, regularly feature at both the Melbourne and Adelaide Fringe Festivals and has performed an entire show dedicated to the music of Sun Ra. They also work with the new spoken word movement in shows such as ‘Erosophy.’

In their home universe of Melbourne they can frequently be found at the Paris Cat and recently launched the limited edition run of their new album ‘Sexjazz’ at Bennetts Lane, followed by launches of it’s Trailblazer Records release at The Wheatsheaf in Adelaide and Slide in Sydney. A concert featuring the Trip alongside The Twoks and Justin Ashworth was staged at Northcote Social Club in May 2010.

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Henry Manetta and the Trip Vocalist

"Highly innovative, even confronting....captivating listening." Leon Gettler, The Green Guide.

"Imagine a world where Captain Beefheart and Tim Buckley decided to form a band with Sun Ra sitting in on keys. Defiantly individual and possessing a vocal range that almost defies belief, Henry draws influences from the grand traditions of jazz and soul, as well as the world of the avant- garde, to create music that is nothing if not unique." Matthew Frederick, The Age.

"A tad of Dr. John piano, a chorus of crackling sax, and lyrics with the immediacy of Dylan Thomas after a bender at a Dublin tavern...while Henry's voice goes from basso to falsetto in the blink of a semi-quaver, the soloists gather their myriad ideas and jump in when their moment arrives." Ron Spain, Jazz Scene Magazine.

"Highly innovative, even confronting....captivating listening." Leon Gettler, The Green Guide.

"Henry’s music is very individual and very spaced out and very physical and very OUT THERE’…. A brilliant jazz soul singer who was playing gigs in Adelaide when Tim Buckley was still kicking so its kind of silly for me to say that that is the direction he’s coming from. Mad, mixed up free jazz and soul like no-one else would think of doing"…..Dave Graney.

‘Manetta’s vocal improvisations have to be heard to be believed’…Beat Magazine.

‘Every tune on this recording explores rhythmic variations that are definitely ‘outside the square’….The sensuous treat, ‘Misterioso’, composed by Thelonious Monk, is a highlight worthy of immediately pressing the repeat button, while Cole Porter’s ‘I Love Paris’ is a riot. After decades spent worrying about vocalists who take no chances, playing it straight between very narrow parameters, this is a breath of fresh air…..Alternately manic, hilarious and ultra-cool, this is good, good, good.’….from a review of ‘Bijou Box’ by Ron Spain, Jazz Scene.

‘Henry bends the syllables and harmonies until they surrender or snap.’…John Shand, Sydney Morning Herald.

‘Jazz is, or should be, every anarchists favourite kind of music, and this band are up there with the most exalted potentates of the form this particular anarchist has ever seen.’….Tony Mc Mahon, Inpress.

‘Henry Manetta’s voice is complexly, not simply, jazz as body language. Together, the postmodern lovers, Rudegeair and Manetta, showed us what the art of jazz is becoming’…Helen Milte Bastow, Inpress.

‘Manetta’s singing style is strongly jazz flavoured, bending and extending notes and phrases in unusual ways, his slight figure moving like an electric eel.’…John McBeath, The Advertiser.

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