Resonant Motion, in partnership with the Russell Library, is happy to be presenting (on the internet) the sixth season of Jazz Up Close. This year’s edition of Jazz Up Close (from afar) is themed “Layers of Collaboration” and each event will focus on multiple artists who co-lead groups and/or perform in one another’s ensembles. People who tune in can expect the usual mix of high-quality music (in this instance in the form of prerecorded, collaborative videos) and engaging real-time conversation including the artists’ thoughts on topics and questions viewers pose to them.  

For our third and final event, we will welcome the Grammy® nominated duo of vocalist/keyboardist/songwriter Nicole Zuraitis and drummer/composer Dan Pugach, accompanied by bassist Henry Lugo and pianist and series curator Noah Baerman, as well as sharing pre-pandemic performance footage of their own projects including the Dan Pugach Nonet and Nicole’s new album All Wandering Hearts.

Connecticut native Nicole Zuraitis is a mainstay of the New York jazz and cabaret scenes, serving as vocalist for the Birdland Big Band. Pre-COVID, she held residencies at the 55 Bar, Rockwood Music Hall (with the Dan Pugach Nonet), and Redeye Grill as well as headlining venues including the Blue Note. She has collaborated with a diverse range of artists including Cyrille Aimee, Thana Alexa, Dave Stryker, Livingston Taylor, Tom Chapin, Omar Hakim, Melanie Safka, Helen Sung and Bernard Purdie.

Originally from Israel, Dan Pugach studied at Rimon School of Jazz, Berklee College of Music, and City College of New York, as well as participating in the Betty Carter Jazz Ahead Residency Program at the Kennedy Center. The Dan Pugach Nonet has toured in the U.S., Europe, and Asia, and his composing has earned him several awards from ASCAP as well as the BMI Charlie Parker Composition Prize/Manny Albam Commission as part of the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop.

Dan’s arrangement of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene,” sung by Nicole, earned them a nomination in the Arrangement category of the 61st annual Grammy® Awards. The couple’s Virtual Piano Lounge has been a model of creative pandemic-era adaptation, as recently profiled in Forbes magazine.  

This year’s series is presented with the support of the Middletown Commission on the Arts, the Friends of the Russell Library, and Resonant Motion’s donors.

This presentation will be streamed live on facebook the day of the event here:  https://www.facebook.com/RussellLibrary/live

The recording will go up after the event on Resonant Motion's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX-DzxKEXdOHOJ3XSVpxTeg