Nicole Zuraitis
A Grammy-winning singer, songwriter, and pianist, Nicole Zuraitis combines her deep grasp of the jazz tradition with contemporary pop, rock, and R&B influences. Following her early standards albums, she showcased her bold original songs on 2013's Pariah Anthem and 2017's Hive Mind. A regular collaborator with her husband drummer Dan Pugach, together they earned a Grammy nomination for their 2019 arrangement of Dolly Parton's "Jolene." More originals and covers marked 2020's All Wandering Hearts. In 2024, she won the Grammy Award for Best Vocal Jazz Album for How Love Begins, a big-band album co-produced with bassist Christian McBride.
Born in 1985 in Waterbury, Connecticut, Zuraitis grew up in nearby Litchfield where she initially loved playing sports. However, after sustaining a soccer injury she turned her efforts toward singing and playing trombone in the school band. Encouraged by her high school music director, she began singing with a local community college jazz band and participated in the Litchfield Jazz Camp. After high school, she studied classical voice at New York University and even pursued a career in opera before deciding to focus on jazz performance and songwriting. In 2008, she made her recorded debut as leader with Spread the Word, a small group standards album. An album of all-original material, Pariah Anthem, followed in 2013. Two years later, she finished as runner-up in The Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition. Along with leading her own quartet, Zuraitis has performed with a bevy of artists, including Antonio Sanchez, Veronica Swift, Benny Benack III, Cyrille Aimee, Dave Stryker, Omar Hakim, Rachel Z, Helen Sung, and Bernard Purdie, among others. She has also appeared as a featured soloist with the Savannah Philharmonic, Asheville Symphony, and Macon Pops, and sings regularly with the Birdland Big Band. When not performing, Zuraitis also teaches, having held positions on the vocal faculty at NYU, SUNY Purchase, and the Litchfield Jazz Camp.
In 2017, Zuraitis released her third album and second of all-original material, Hive Mind. The album featured contributions by Zuraitis' partner drummer Dan Pugach, whom she married in 2018. Also in 2018, she again collaborated with Pugach on his Nonet album, Plus One. Included on the album was her arrangement of Dolly Parton's song "Jolene," which picked up a 2019 Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals. All Wandering Hearts, which featured her originals along with covers like "What a Wonderful World" and Prince's "I Would Die 4 U," arrived the following year. In 2023, she released How Love Begins, a large ensemble album of original compositions. Co-produced with bassist Christian McBride, it featured contributions by Pugach, guitarist Gilad Hekselman, organist Maya Kronfeld, pianist David Cook, drummer Billy Kilson, and vocal duo Sonica. It won the Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album in 2024.
© Matt Collar /TiVo
Discography
21 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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How Love Begins
Vocal Jazz - Released by Outside In Music on Jul. 7, 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Caffeine & Affirmations
Vocal Jazz - Released by La Reserve Records on Dec. 1, 2023
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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SONICA
Thana Alexa, Nicole Zuraitis, Julia Adamy
Jazz - Released by Outside in Music on Sep. 30, 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
I Would Die 4 U
Vocal Jazz - Released by Dot Time Records on Jul. 24, 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
All Wandering Hearts
Vocal Jazz - Released by Dot Time Records on May 15, 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Pariah Anthem
Contemporary Jazz - Released by Nicole Zuraitis on Dec. 10, 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Wandering Hearts
Rock - Released by Outside in Music on Jul. 1, 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Champagne & Declarations
Vocal Jazz - Released by La Reserve Records on Oct. 20, 2023
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Save it for a Rainy Day
Nicole Zuraitis, Gilad Hekselman
Vocal Jazz - Released by La Reserve Records on Jan. 26, 2024
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
The Garden
Vocal Jazz - Released by Outside in Music on Jun. 9, 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Cafés & Conversation
Vocal Jazz - Released by La Reserve Records on Sep. 8, 2023
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm
Jazz - Released by Outside in Music on Nov. 11, 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most
Jazz - Released by Outside in Music on Apr. 1, 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Vocal Jazz - Released by Outside in Music on Dec. 2, 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Like Dew
Vocal Jazz - Released by Outside in Music on May 5, 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
For the Lonely
Pop - Released by Nicole Zuraitis on Feb. 5, 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Make It Flood
Vocal Jazz - Released by Dot Time Records on Jul. 3, 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo