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"A singer who deserves a listen . . . she is a lady with an adventurous soul!"
– George Benson
Just back from performing at Nardis Jazz Club in Istanbul, Turkey, as well as two tours hosted by the Sinatra Society of Japan, where she recorded a live album for release in 2008, Diane Hubka has been winning international acclaim ever since the Dutch Challenge/A-Records label distributed her first CD, Haven't We Met. Featureing alto sax legend Lee Konitz, it was nominated for a 1999 Jazz Award for "Best Recording Debut" alongside rising stars Stefon Harris, Ravi Coltrane and Brian Blade. Whether singing with a group or accompanying herself on seven-string guitar, ALL MUSIC GUIDE calls her "one of the top vocalists of her generation."
A vital member of New York City's jazz scene for nearly two decades, Diane Hubka released two more critically acclaimed CDs before moving to Los Angeles in 2004.
To celebrate her move to "Hollywood", she collaborated with pianist Christian Jacob (Maynard Ferguson, Tierney Sutton,) and recorded Diane Hubka Goes to the Movies, (18th & Vine/USA; SSJ Records/Japan; 2007.) JazzTimes heralded its "winning results", and Japan's Swing Journal gave it a five-star review, calling her "arguably the biggest discovery since Roberta Gambarini." All About Jazz declared, "Hubka has created an entirely new songbook all her own."
Diane's third CD, You Inspire Me, (VSOJAZ 2002) was a personal tribute (and testament) to her love of jazz guitar, with seven of the world’s top virtuoso guitarists playing in various group settings. Diane often performs accompanying herself on guitar, and in September 2002 she began playing the 7-string guitar. Howard Alden, Concord Jazz recording artist and one of the world's foremost 7-string players, said: "I think voice plus seven-string guitar are an ideal combination. It's rare to find someone who can perform with both single-handedly, but Diane Hubka does just that - beautifully!" In Dec. 2007, the SSJ Records label of Japan re-released "You Inspire Me", renaming it "Nuages" and including a bonus track of the singer with Howard Alden.
Diane has recorded and/or performed with jazz luminaries Bucky Pizzarelli, Gene Bertoncini, Harold Danko, Bruce Barth, Joe LaBarbera, John Hart, Frank Kimbrough, John Pisano, Carl Saunders, Scott Whitfield, Paul Bollenback and the Brazilian Trio Da Paz. She has headlined in major jazz clubs across the US, appearing in New York's Blue Note, Birdland and Knitting Factory, the Central PA Jazz Festival, the Philadelphia Guitar Show, Washington D.C.’s Blues Alley, Jazz Corner in Hilton Head, SC, and LA's Jazz Bakery, Steamers and LA County Museum of Art. Returning to her home town, she has twice been ’Featured Soloist’ with the Western Maryland Symphony. Her tours in Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya and Osaka, Japan, included appearances at JZBrat, Tokyo TUC, Jazz On Top and Cotton Club. In March 2008 she headlined at Nardis Jazz Club in Istanbul, Turkey.
This Blue Ridge Mountain-bred artist grew up in Western Maryland in a musical family and learned violin, trombone and guitar from an early age. In college she joined her guitar teacher's group as a singer, and developed her love and knowledge of jazz. "My teacher, Bill Bittner, playing his big, Gibson L-7 guitar with a Charlie Christian pick-up, made a permanent impression on my young jazz ears!"
After graduating from college she moved to Washington, DC where she frequented jazz clubs Blues Alley, One Step Down and Mr. Y’s Soul Kitchen, absorbing sounds of national acts and local artists including Charlie Byrd and Shirley Horn, and honing her own performance skills in those rooms.
In 1986 Diane Hubka moved to New York and was soon awarded a jazz fellowship from National Endowment for the Arts. She studied voice, piano and guitar with some of New York’s premier jazz artists including: Anne Marie Moss, Sheila Jordan, Jay Clayton, Barry Harris, Harold Danko, John Hart, Connie Crothers, and Howard Alden.
In addition to performing regularly, Diane Hubka accepts students for private instruction and conducts workshops on jazz improvisation. She is a member of the International Association of Jazz Educators (IAJE), and moderated a panel at their Jan. 2005 Conference, titled "The Voice / Instrument Connection."
Diane Hubka plays:
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