Nicole Zuraitis is a Grammy-nominated American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

vocalist, pianist, songwriter and arranger.

Biography

Early life

Nicole Zuraitis grew up in

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

and had an early gift for athletics, but suffered a hip flexor injury while playing youth soccer in France with the

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

development soccer team. She began to shift her focus towards singing as well as playing trombone and percussion. She attended Litchfield public schools as well as Holy Cross High School in

Waterbury, Connecticut Waterbury is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut on the Naugatuck River, southwest of Hartford and northeast of New York City. Waterbury is the second-largest city in New Haven County, Connecticut. According to the 2020 US Census, in 20 ...

. Zuraitis began to sing jazz with a local

community college A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an "open enrollment" for students who have graduated from high school (also known as senior sec ...

big band after being encouraged by her high school music director. She also frequently attended Litchfield Jazz Camp, which she attributes to her early interest in jazz. Zuraitis studied classical voice at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

. After a brief period performing

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

professionally after graduation, she moved back to the

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

to pursue songwriting and

in 2009.

Music career

Zuraitis released her first album ''Spread the Word'' in 2008, featuring

Luques Curtis Luques Curtis (born August 17, 1983) is an American bassist from Hartford, Connecticut. Now based in New York City, Luques has been performing nationally and internationally with artists such as Eddie Palmieri, Ralph Peterson, Jr, Christian Scott, ...

, Zaccai Curtis and

Winard Harper Hiram Winard Harper (born June 4, 1962) is an American jazz drummer. Career Harper played in the 1980s with Dexter Gordon, Johnny Griffin, and with Betty Carter for four years. While working with Carter he met Wycliffe Gordon, with whom Harper ...

. Her most recent album ''All Wandering Hearts'' released in July 2020. Recent touring projects have included ''Generations of Her,'' featuring songs by female composers from 1924 to the present. Zuraitis performs regularly with the Dan Pugach Nonet. In 2019, she and Pugach received a co-nomination for a Grammy Award for their arrangement of

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...

's "Jolene." She has also been prominently featured with the Birdland Big Band in

. Her groups have performed regularly at Greenwich Village's famed 55 Bar jazz club. She is a member of the Sonica trio, alongside

Thana Alexa Thana Alexa (born Thana Alexa Pavelić; born March 19, 1987) is an American jazz vocalist, composer, arranger and producer. Biography Early life Alexa's interest in music began at age three when she disappeared from a birthday party and was dis ...

and Julia Adamy. She has performed or collaborated with

Tom Chapin Tom Chapin (born March 13, 1945) is an American musician, entertainer, singer-songwriter, and storyteller. Chapin is known for the song " Happy Birthday", released in 1989 in his ''Moonboat'' album. It takes its melody from "Love Unspoken", a so ...

, Morgan James, Livingston Taylor and

Melanie Safka Melanie Anne Safka-Schekeryk (born February 3, 1947), professionally known as Melanie or Melanie Safka, is an American singer-songwriter. She is best known for the 1971–72 global hit "Brand New Key", her cover of " Ruby Tuesday", her compositi ...

Cyrille Aimee Cyrille is both a French masculine given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: People with the given name * Cyrille Adoula (1921–1978), Congolese politician who served as Premier of the Republic of the Congo (1961– ...

Dave Stryker Dave Stryker (born March 30, 1957) is an American jazz guitarist. He has recorded over twenty-five albums as a leader and has been a featured sideman with Stanley Turrentine, Jack McDuff, and Kevin Mahogany. Career Stryker grew up in Omaha, Nebr ...

, Livingston Taylor,

Omar Hakim Omar Hakim (born February 12, 1959) is an American jazz, jazz fusion and pop music drummer, producer, arranger and composer. He has worked with Weather Report, David Bowie, Foo Fighters, Sting, Madonna, Dire Straits, Bryan Ferry, Journey, Kate ...

Helen Sung Helen Sung is an American jazz pianist. Music career Sung is a native of Houston, Texas, and is of Chinese heritage. She attended Houston's High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, and went on to receive undergraduate and master's degrees ...

Rachel Z Rachel Carmel Hakim ( née Nicolazzo), better known as Rachel Z, is a jazz and rock pianist and keyboardist. She has recorded 10 solo albums as a jazz musician. Her musical style, especially her improvisation, has been described as adjacent to H ...

, Tim Palmieri, Elise Testone, and

Bernard Purdie Bernard Lee "Pretty" Purdie (born June 11, 1939) is an American drummer, and an influential R&B, soul and funk musician. He is known for his precise musical time keeping and his signature use of triplets against a half-time backbeat: the "Purdie ...

, among others. Zuraitis has taught songwriting and jazz vocal workshops worldwide, including the Swamabhoomi Academy of Music in India, Israel Embassy, Australian consulate,

Williams College Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a col ...

, Miami Arts Charter School and the

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...

magazine featured Zuraitis' Covid crisis pivot project ''Virtual Piano Lounge Plus One'' in October 2020. Produced with Dan Pugach, the project offered performances through

Facebook Live Facebook is a social-network service website launched on February 4, 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg. The following is a list of software and technology features that can be found on the Facebook website and mobile app and are available to users of t ...

and featured a rotating cast of guests.

Awards

Zuraitis' performance of

’s

Jolene (song) "Jolene" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Dolly Parton. It was produced by Bob Ferguson and recorded at RCA Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee on May 22, 1973. It was released on October 15, 1973, by RCA Victor, as ...

in collaboration with the Dan Pugach Nonet received a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

nomination in 2019 for Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals. She was hosted as a guest of honor by the WOW! forum in fall 2019. In 2020, Broadway World nominated Zuraitis for five Cabaret Awards. Additionally, she was the 2016 Coffee Music Project New York Songwriting Project winner and 2015 runner-up in The

Sarah Vaughan Sarah Lois Vaughan (March 27, 1924 – April 3, 1990) was an American jazz singer. Nicknamed "Sassy" and "Jazz royalty, The Divine One", she won two Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, and was nominated for a total of nine ...

International Jazz Vocal Competition. Zuraitis was named in Connecticut Magazine's "40 under 40". She received the IMEA Best Jazz Album award, the

Johnny Mercer John Herndon Mercer (November 18, 1909 – June 25, 1976) was an American lyricist, songwriter, and singer, as well as a record label executive who co-founded Capitol Records with music industry businessmen Buddy DeSylva and Glenn E. Wallich ...

Award in the American Traditions Competition and the

Herb Alpert Herb Alpert (born March 31, 1935) is an American trumpeter who led the band Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass in the 1960s. During the same decade, he co-founded A&M Records with Jerry Moss. Alpert has recorded 28 albums that have landed on the ...

Young Jazz Composer award.

Personal life

Zuraitis married drummer and composer Dan Pugach in 2018. They currently live in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. Her album ''Hive Mind'' (DotTime Records) explores the nature of creativity and its associated challenges. The album is dedicated to her grandfather who has lived with schizophrenia for the majority of his life. In conjunction with this project, Zuraitis offered a portion of concert ticket sales to various mental health organizations with missions aimed at ending the mental health stigma. Additionally, her album ''Pariah Anthem'' depicts the plight of rescue animals, specifically pit bulls. She has performed at animal shelters across America to help raise awareness and spread education about the breed through music.

Discography

As leader

* ''All Wandering Hearts'' (DotTime Records, 2020) * ''Live at Two-Headed Calf'' - with Brandon Scott Coleman (2018) * ''Hive Mind'' (DotTime Records, 2017) * ''Long Meadow Vine (The Wine Song)'' - single (DotTime Records, 2017) * ''No Ban, No Wall'' - single (2017) * ''For the Lonely'' - single (2014) * ''Pariah Anthem'' - (2013) * ''Spread the Word'' (2008)

As guest

*''Ona'' – Thana Alexa (Independent, 2020) *''All About Love'' – Elise Testone (2020) *''Plus One'' – Dan Pugach Nonet (Unit Records, 2018) *''Day Dream'' – Carmen Staaf Sextet (2017) *''Wishes on a Neon Sign'' – Abbie Gardner (2017) *''Come to Paradise'' – Suzanne Dean (2016) *''Sealine Woman'' – With Nikki and The Riot (2016) *''Right Here'' – Andrea Daly (2016) *''Take Some Air'' – EVA (Independent, 2015) *''Something New'' – Jennifer Sullivan (Independent, 2014)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zuraitis, Nicole Living people American women jazz singers American jazz singers Women jazz musicians 21st-century American singers 21st-century American women singers Year of birth missing (living people)