Diane Marino Press Page
Diane Marino was born in Manhattan NYC. Formal training began with a combination of classical studies as well as improvisation. Diane was accepted to NYC’s “famed” High School for the Performing Arts as a classical piano major. She attended the Mannes College of Music in Manhattan, where she studied piano with world-renowned concert pianist Murray Perahia.
While working towards her Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance, she began singing with small groups in the NYC tri-state area. After graduating from Mannes, Diane began to work singing 6 nights a week. It was only natural and a matter of time before Diane would combine her singing and piano playing skills. She performed solo gigs several years in the NYC area before teaming up with bassist Frank Marino.
Several years later they relocating to Nashville TN and the duo quickly became a staple on the local Jazz scene.
Diane has played traditional Jazz and Brazilian classics at local Jazz venues on a regular basis. In 1993 she formed her group “SOM BRASILEIRO” (Sounds of Brazil) and was nominated for the 1998 Jazz album of the year at the Nashville Music Awards. She has performed at numerous Jazz venues, festivals and college concerts in the Southeast and has shared the bill with such artists as Tania Maria, Pete Escovedo, Joe Henderson, Dr. John, to name a few.
THE DIANE MARINO QUARTET is truly unique. They incorporate Traditional Jazz standards, Latin Jazz and a vast Brazilian repertoire. Equally at home with instrumentals or vocals, Diane sings the entire Brazilian repertoire in Portuguese.
Her quartet’s CD, “A SLEEPIN’ BEE” offers a wide array of these styles and is receiving rave reviews and major airplay across the country.

FOR BOOKINGS and INFORMATION

CONTACT:
Frank Marino
M & M Records
Marino Music
8017 Esterbrook Drive
Nashville, TN 37221
Phone: 615-673-1200
Fax: 615-673-1177
e-mail: marinomusic@comcast.net
website: dianemarino.com

Rave Reviews

WMOT 89.5FM… January 2003 by Greg Lee Hunt - Program Director
“I love this recording!
Often when a band plays to its strength in the studio the results can be one-dimensional after a couple of tracks.
Don’t worry about that happening on “A Sleepin Bee”. The Diane Marino Quartet offers a showcase CD spreading strong performances with a broad brush of musical styles. From a playful burner like the opening ‘This Can’t Be Love’; to Jobim’s lilting ‘Double Rainbow’ (with delightful flute playing by Rusty Jessup and Portuguese lyrics sung effortlessly by the pianist/bandleader Diane Marino); to Charlie Parker’s sly
‘My Little Suede Shoes’ featuring a fine conversation by Frank Marino & Chris Brown (bass & drums respectively); to ballad/blues straight out of that soulful Etta Jones/Houston Person bag, and this group’s strong across the board. And there’s more, a lot more, inside ‘A Sleepin’ Bee’ by the Diane Marino Quartet.”
It’s one to take home.

JAZZ & BLUES NEWS… January 2003 by Chuck Chellman
Tennessee Jazz & Blues Society Inc.
This is a CD that many of us have waited for. The players on this project are all top jazz musicians. Diane is a strong pianist and vocalist. To me, the selection of tunes and the interpretation of the jazz evergreens make this a very commercial product. They are playing songs we all know and love (and buy). Diane’s vocal on “You Don’t Know What Love Is” is very sensitive, yet strong. Hearing Harold Arlen’s “A Sleepin’ Bee” is a pure delight, especially with the tempo she has chosen. Along with the standard jazz tunes, we have the chance to hear three wonderful Brazilian cuts that take this album out of the normal things you hear and purchase. It is a neat shifting of gears for the quartet and listener…Need a Charlie Parker tune? It is here in “My Little Suede Shoes”. Need a Miles Davis tune? “All Blues” is here in the coolest version I’ve heard so far. Then you can hear great renditions of “Angel Eyes”, Benny Golson’s “Killer Joe”, done in an unusual Latin treatment.
Catch this group. You can give your date a good lesson in what Jazz is supposed to mean. I learned a little today.

JAZZ… January 2003 by Ed Smith
“This is the eagerly anticipated recording by the Diane Marino Quartet. They’re always great to hear live, and this CD is near perfect. The opener, “This Can’t Be Love” really swings. Rogers & Hart would be dizzy with joy. Rusty and Diane conjure up images of Stan and Astrud on the Brazilian tune, “Incompatible Thoughts”, with the addition of Diane’s lyrical piano performance. The quartet performs a nasty Latin version of Benny Golson’s “Killer Joe”. There’s not just something for everyone on this nearly 80 minute CD, there’s A LOT for everyone. Diane is equally adept at piano and vocals, Franks’ Bass is solid and lyrical throughout, Rusty’s Sax and Flute playing soars and Chris’s Drumming is solid, dynamic and driving.
Put this CD in your collection…it’s in mine!”

TOWER RECORDS NASHVILLE… February 2003 by Jennifer Geis
The Diane Marino Quartet’s “A Sleepin’ Bee” CD is as good as anything else out there in the jazz market these days. The majority of cuts on this album are not familiar standards, which is refreshing, especially since many of the talented jazz singers in Nashville limit their repertoire to standards that you’ve heard many times before.
As a vocalist, Marino often sounds like a kinder, gentler Dee Dee Bridgewater. As a pianist, she is more than competent among her bandmates. On several cuts, she gives a Cuban flavor to songs you might not expect (“Killer Joe”, “All Blues”), but it works wonderfully. Three songs are confidently sung in Brazilian Portuguese, as well.
This CD is deserving of radio play nationwide. I hope other stations follow suit of our wonderful WMOT.

CHATTANOOGA TIMES… April 2003 by Ken Dryden
Pianist and singer Diane Marino loves a wide variety of music. The New York City native studied classical piano with Murray Perahia, though her love of jazz pulled her in another direction. The chemistry of her quartet is evident on her CD “A Sleepin’ Bee” A confident singer as well, her diverse background comes across through her choice of material as well as her interpretations. She’s equally at home singing an emotional ballad such as “You Don’t Know What Love Is”, the playful “A Sleepin’ Bee”, or the original Portuguese lyrics to Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “Double Rainbow”. The instrumental tracks are equally enjoyable, especially the Latin-flavored arrangement of “All Blues” and Charlie Parker’s “My Little Suede Shoes”.

EARBUZZ REVIEW… May 2003 by Earbuzz.com
Superior ensemble jazz performance with flawless and timbre delicious vocals from Miss Diane Marino. The intoxicating performances by bassist Frank Marino, sax solos by Rusty Jessup, and intuitive accompaniment by drummer Chris Brown, make room and provide musical support for Diane’s jazz voice and accomplished jazz piano interpretations. A gift to the ears.