MANILA, Philippines?The first time somebody told singer Arthur Manuntag that he sounded like Tony Bennett, he replied that he didn?t know the American music icon.

?I used to be a rock singer and had no idea who Bennett was,? Manuntag told the Inquirer.

Intrigued, Manuntag started researching and found the era that Bennett belonged to as a style he would love to explore. Manuntag has since been singing jazz and standards, in the process earning him a good reputation in hotel clubs and lounges around the country and overseas.

At one point, he was reportedly the top attraction at a swanky hotel in Hong Kong, earning US$5,000 a month.

Rich and famous

Recently he was invited by the Sultan of Selangor in Malaysia to sing at the opening of a Hard Rock Cafe branch in that country.

He?s a favorite at private parties for Manila?s jet set. ?I?ve become a singer for the rich and famous,? Manuntag deadpanned. ?I didn?t plan [it this way], though it was dream to be noticed by influential people. ?

Close encounters

The Inquirer has glimpsed Manuntag?s talent twice at Merk?s?the first time during the club?s sixth anniversary bash last year; and then at Annie Brazil?s homecoming gig last August. Merk?s is owned by Brazil?s son, Richard Merk. On both occasions, Manuntag was a towering presence, not only because of his hefty build and height, but also on account of a powerful voice that could easily shift singing styles.

When he covered the rarely heard R&B/funk classic, ?Vehicle,? originally by the American band Ides of March, Manuntag was roaring and bursting with rock ?n? roll energy; and when he jammed with Brazil on ?I Get a Kick Out of You? and ?Smoke Gets in Your Eyes,? his mastery of the jazz idiom was apparent.

Now, as he gears up for his first solo gig?which he?s also producing?on Nov. 28 at Hard Rock Cafe in Glorietta, Ayala Center, Manuntag wants not just his loyal crowd to come and see what he?s prepared. Titled ?Live Radio Show,? the gig, he said, is a conceptual production that, he hopes, will transport the audience to a bygone era.

8-piece orchestra

?Lito Gorospe, veteran radio DJ, will be onstage playing himself, complete with a simulated radio booth,? Manuntag said. ?He will talk about classic songs from the ?30s to the ?60s, which, on cue, I will perform live with an eight-piece orchestra.?

Manuntag turned 46 yesterday?still a tad too young to be playing around with golden oldies. But this is what he loves doing, he said, whether or not he really sounds like Tony Bennett.