CD of the Day - "Diane Hubka: I Like It Here"

CD of the Day
Diane Hubka: "I Like it Here - Live in Tokyo" (SSJ) 2008
A very, very classy and charming performance captured live at Tokyo's JZBrat Jazz Club (located in the Shibuya area) on December 5, 2007. Promoted and released by the Sinatra Society of Japan (SSJ), this album showcases Hubka's talents backed by a cohesive acoustic trio of Japanese musicians: Kiyoshi Morita (piano), Masahiko Taniguchi (bass) and Nobuhiko Yamashita (drums). Hubka herself plays guitar on four tracks, something that adds an extra appeal to the set.
The follow-up to her best album to date, "Diane Hubka Goes to the Movies", which became a sensation in Japan last year and was elected one of the best jazz vocal albums of 2007 by Jazz Station, "I Like it Here" was produced by Yasuo Sango & Toshio Kobari. Both the level of musicianship and audio quality (courtesy of engineer Kiyoshi Tokiwa) are excellent.
The title track is also the opening one, "I Like it Here", arranged by Pete Malinverni. Three Jobim tunes appear in the program: "Água de Beber", "Dindi" and "One Note Samba". Not coincidently, all of them recorded by Frank Sinatra on his two albums with Jobim. However, don't expect "covers" of Sinatra's versions. Diane is her own woman and approaches each of the songs with strong personality.
"Dindi", the album highlight, is the most impressive case. Usually treated as a slow "sad" ballad, here the song flies in a perfect tempo, with Hubka's adventurous phrasing exploring all its nuances and revealing the real meaning of Ray Gilbert's beautiful English lyrics. Morita's joyous piano solo is a gem!
While "Dindi" appeared on the first "Sinatra-Jobim" meeting from 1967, "Água de Beber" and "One Note Samba" were recorded by Francis Albert for "Sinatra & Company", in 1969. Hubka plays guitar on "Água de Beber" as well as on two tunes by her guitar teacher, Ron Anthony: "Faces" (co-written by Arthur "Cry me a river" Hamilton) and "It's Always 4 AM", with ingenious lyrics by the great Sammy Cahn, a close friend of Sinatra.
Hubka's velvet-like voice fits like a glove in such songs as "You Go To My Head", "Moonlight in Vermont" and "All My Tomorrows". A great combination of art and entertainment.
Here's the complete CD tracklist:
1. I Like It Here (Alec Wilder, William Engvick)
2. Agua de Beber (Antonio Carlos Jobim, Vinicius de Moraes, Norman Gimbel)
3. Angel Eyes (Matt Dennis, Earl K. Brent)
4. Faces (Ron Anthony, Arthur Hamilton)
5. Get Out of Town (Cole Porter)
6. It's Always 4 AM (Ron Anthony, Sammy Cahn)
7. Some of My Best Friends Are The Blues
(Al Byron, Woody Harris)
8. You Go To My Head (J. Fred Coots, Haven Gillespie)
9. Give Me the Simple Life (Rube Bloom, Harry Ruby)
10. Dindi (Antonio Carlos Jobim, Aloysio de Oliveira, Ray Gilbert)
11. Moonlight In Vermont (Karl Suessdorf, John Blackburn)
12. All My Tomorrows (Jimmy Van Heusen, Sammy Cahn)
13. One Note Samba (Antonio Carlos Jobim, Newton Mendonça, Jon Henricks)

The CD can be ordered through Eastwind Import:
http://www.eastwindimport.com/album-details.asp?CategoryName=New+Arrivals%2DJazz&PG=2&ProductID=567

"I Like It Here / Live In Tokyo captures the excitement I felt while performing live in Japan last year! I want to give equal thanks to Yasuo Sangu, Toshio Kobari, and Bill Reed for making it possible for me to tour for the Sinatra Society of Japan, and record this CD for SSJ Records. It was a very special experience, primarily due to their kindness and generosity- everyone I met in Japan was warm and gracious and supportive!
And the musicians were so fantastic - so accomplished on their instruments, so gifted in the language of jazz! Favorite moments: singing Karaoke - but all Sinatra songs!...eating...seeing beautiful Tokyo and Yokohama...eating...riding the train through the mountains to Kofu...eating ...seeing photos in all the jazz clubs of great American jazz artists, especially my hero Helen Merril...eating...and hearing I would be invited back again soon!
Arigatou gozaimasu! - Diane Hubka