INTERVIEW: Grammy nominee Dan Pugach to play free Brooklyn concert
Photo: The Dan Pugach Nonet will play the Lighthouse Bandshell at Kingsborough Community College. Photo courtesy of Derek Prospero / Provided by GOGO PR with permission.
Dan Pugach, the composer, drummer and creative force behind the the Dan Pugach Nonet, has a lot to celebrate in 2019. For starters, he and his wife, Nicole Zuraitis, were nominated for a Grammy Award, and now they’ll bring some of that musical magic to a special (and free) concert Saturday, July 27 at Kingsborough Community College’s Lighthouse Bandshell in Brooklyn, New York.
Pugach’s concert is part of the 2019 Hot Summer Nights! series hosted by the On Stage at Kingsborough program. The ensemble has won two ASCAP Jazz Composer awards, a residency at the Kennedy Center for the Arts in Washington, D.C., and the aforementioned Grammy nomination. That nomination came for Best Arrangement, Instruments with Vocals for Pugach and Zuraitis’ adaptation of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene.”
The Dan Pugach Nonet has played a variety of worldwide venues, including Bird’s Eye Basel; The Zone in Tel Aviv, Israel; Blue Note Jazz; and the Stowe Jazz Festival. After the Brooklyn concert they head to The Jazz Loft in Stony Brook, New York, on Friday, Aug. 16.
Recently Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Pugach about the upcoming concert. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
What can fans expect at your special On Stage At Kingsborough concert July 27?
Fans can expect a mixed bag of tunes from our album Plus One as well as arrangements of folk, jazz and pop material. We will play our GRAMMY®-nominated arrangement of Dolly Parton’s ‘Jolene’ as well as premiere our recent BMI Charlie Parker Composition Award-winning piece “Bianca,” dedicated to our beloved rescue pitbull who just passed.
What’s the collaboration like between you and your wife, vocalist Nicole Zuraitis?
Nicole Zuraitis has always been my nuclear weapon even before the nonet was put together. She has an incredible voice and a unique connection with audiences no matter where we perform in the world. Our album is essentially named after her being my Plus One, but in reality she is the foundation on which this band thrives.
Did you gravitate toward the drums at a young age? Why percussion and not trumpet, guitar, piano?
If I had a dollar for every time I got the old ‘couldn’t you play the flute instead?!’ I would be rich but not as happy. I had an old beat-up drum kit growing up because my older brother used it as a hobby. We had a piano and violin as well, but I was always attracted to the drums because I wanted to emulate what I heard on cassette tapes and the radio. Someone once said that when I play it looks like the drum sticks are nothing but a natural extension of my hands, which I think is a cool way of putting it. I couldn’t see myself [playing] anything else aside from the drums. I play the piano every morning for fun, and I use it when I write. But singing the melodies while playing the drums is the final test before I finish a piece.
What was it like to be nominated for a Grammy Award this past year?
I am still feeling the high from being surrounded by my musical heroes and being a part of the awards. It was probably the highest point in my career to spend time in Los Angeles with my partner in crime, Nicole, and our families supporting us. No more questions at Thanksgiving and Passover like, ‘When are you getting a real job,’ or ‘So what do you do when you are not singing/drumming?’ It feels like our hard work got tremendous validation by the music industry but at the same time reminded us that there is still a lot of work to be done, and this is just the beginning.
What do you love best about the big band sound?
My very first exposure to jazz was through cassettes that my next door neighbor dubbed for me, which contained Gene Krupa, Buddy Rich, Shelly Manne, Count Basie and Duke Ellington. Later I got hip to Thad Jones, Gil Evans and many more. The lush ballads with the rich harmonies were what caught my ear, more so than the flashy fast and loud passages. I try to create those rich sounds with my band in a way that sounds clear, supports the song and the vocalist, and to also have fun with different grooves with the bass and piano.
What’s the most difficult part of leading a nonet?
This is a good question. There are many moving parts when we play longer tours, so that can be a challenge. But honestly, I feel like we have overcome so many logistical and financial obstacles by now that playing with [a] trio would not be any easier. My nonet is definitely a commitment, and I would not have done it any other way. In fact, I’m also writing for [a] full 17-piece big band, so if anything changes, it is going bigger!
I am really looking forward to bringing the band to On Stage At Kingsborough.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
The Dan Pugach Nonet will play Saturday, July 27 at 8 p.m. as part of On Stage at Kingsborough’s 2019 Hot Summer Nights! festival. The performance is free and will take place at Kingsborough Community College’s Lighthouse Bandshell in Brooklyn, New York. Click here for more information.
