PHOTOS: NICOLE ZURAITIS Plays Dizzy’s Club

The view and atmosphere in Dizzy’s Club at Jazz at Lincoln Center offers what is probably one the best environments on the planet to experience the artistry and joy of great musicians. Singer Nicole Zuraitis thrilled a SRO audience of Jazz connoisseurs last night, Thursday July 24, 2025, with her incredible voice, musicianship, and personality. Leonard Bernstein said it best... ”The Joy Of Music.” Zuraitis backed herself on piano with Idan Morim on guitar, Dan Pugach on drums, and Sam Weber on bass. The group played 7 pm and 9 pm sets, both sold out. Check out the photos from the 7 pm performance below.

Nicole Zuraitis is a two-time GRAMMY®-winning and four-time GRAMMY-nominated jazz singer-songwriter (nominated in four distinct categories: Best Jazz Vocal Album, Best Large Jazz Ensemble, Best Jazz Performance and Best Arrangement), pianist and arranger, New York-based bandleader and winner of the prestigious 2021 American Traditions Vocal Competition Gold Medal. Nicole has positioned herself as one of the top artists and "prolific songwriters" (Broadway World) to watch in jazz and beyond. As a recording artist, Nicole has released five albums as leader, and her sixth album, How Love Begins, co-produced with eight-time GRAMMY-winner Christian McBride, won BEST JAZZ VOCAL ALBUM at the 2024 GRAMMY® awards and features all original music. She is the only person ever to have won this award who wrote and arranged the entire album herself. In addition to leading her quartet, Nicole performed and recorded with the Birdland Big Band as the premier vocalist before taking off as a large ensemble leader of her own, co-producing the Dan Pugach Big Band and guesting for major big bands around the globe. She has headlined at Newport Jazz Festival, Melbourne International Jazz Festival, Caramoor, Saratoga Jazz Festival and Tanglewood, along with iconic NYC jazz clubs like Dizzy’s Club at Lincoln Center, Birdland, the Blue Note, the Carlyle, 54 Below and the late, great 55 Bar. She also has appeared as a featured soloist with the Savannah Philharmonic, Asheville Symphony, and Macon Pops as well as the Danish Radio Big Band. Nicole is a featured artist and producer on her husband’s, renowned drummer, bandleader, and composer Dan Pugach, 2025 GRAMMY-winning album, Bianca Reimagined: Music for Paws and Persistence (Best Large Ensemble) for which they composed the GRAMMY-nominated song, “Little Fears” (Best Jazz Performance). Nicole is a vocalist on the GRAMMY-winning “Last Sunday in Plains: A Centennial Celebration” alongside Jon Batiste, Keb’ Mo’, and LeeAnn Rimes. In 2024, Broadway World honored Nicole with the “Best Big Band Show” Award. Nicole's arrangement of Dolly Parton's Jolene, co-written with Dan Pugach, was nominated for a 2019 GRAMMY®, springboarding her career and making her a household name in the modern-day jazz landscape. In 2020, she was named in the top 40 under 40 for 2020 in Connecticut Magazine, and her weekly live stream during the Covid-19 crisis, "Virtual Piano Lounge," was featured in Forbes Magazine.  Nicole has collaborated with an extensive list of luminaries, including Christian McBride, Tom Scott, Keyon Harrold, David Cook, Gilad Hekselman, Veronica Swift, Benny Benack, Stephen Feifke, Cyrille Aimee, Antonio Sanchez, Javon Jackson, Nikki Giovanni, Dave Stryker, Omar Hakim,  Rachel Z, Helen Sung, Melanie, Morgan James, Darren Criss, Livingston Taylor, Thana Alexa, Rachel Eckroth, Don Braden and Bernard Purdie. She is a proud educator and a current vocal faculty member at NYU and the Litchfield Jazz Camp. In 2024, Post University awarded Nicole an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters. An ardent activist with a decade-long track record of giving back, her release of How Love Begins coincided with a self-produced music festival and day of activism for Save the Sound.Org. All proceeds of the GRAMMY winning album Bianca Reimagined go to pitbull rescues Nicole and Dan have fostered through the last 15 years.

Learn more about the artist on her website at www.nicolezmusic.com

Find more upcoming shows at Dizzy's Club on the Jazz at Lincoln Center website here.

 
Nicole Zuraitis

Nicole Zuraitis

Dizzy's Club

Nicole Zuraitis

Dan Pugach

Idan Morim

Dan Pugach & Idan Morim

Sam Weber

Nicole Zuraitis

Nicole Zuraitis, Sam Weber, Dan Pugach, Idan Morim

Dizzy's Club

Nicole Zuraitis

Nicole Zuraitis

Jazz at Lincoln Center