Dan Pugach, the GRAMMY® Award nominated drummer, composer and arranger, is a three-time recipient of the ASCAP Foundation Jazz Composer Award. He’s the featured drummer on the 2024 Grammy-Award winning album How Love Begins co-produced by his wife and singer Nicole Zuraitis and bassist Christian McBride.
Dan is the leader of The Dan Pugach Nonet and The Dan Pugach Big Band, playing his original music and arrangements.
His latest Big Band album, Bianca Reimagined: Music for Paws and Persistence was released in August (on Outside in Music label) featuring his original compositions.
Dan Pugach spoke to WBGO's Doug Doyle about his new album, his passions and his career that began as a rock drummer in Israel.
"At the age of 15, I started getting into Bebop and Hard bop. I fell in love with Roy Haynes. Even to this day if you asked me who is biggest influence on drums it's Roy Haynes."
Dan spent three years of military service in Israel before he came to the United States in 2006. He received a Bachelor of Music Degree from Berklee College of Music, where he studied with Terri Lynn Carrington, Hal Crook, and Joe Lovano. He received his M.A in music from the City College of New York, where he studied with Mike Holober and Scott Reeves.
Pugach gives much of his amazing arrangement talents to his teacher, jazz pianist and composer Mike Holober.
"He gave me an assignment at City College when I was pursuing a Master's in 2009. He said write a chart for five horns, a rhythm section, a nine-piece ensemble and write what you think should happen. I brought in a Horace Silver tune that completely rearranged it, redid the harmony, changed the meter and completely reimagined the song. I guess compared to other students who just brought in a harmonized but same tune, Holober said I should be writing for a Big Band."
Dan took that advice and has been extremely successful. His arrangement of Dolly Parton's famous tune "Jolene" won a Grammy-nomination (Best Arrangement, Instruments with Vocals) alongside vocalist Nicole Zuraitis.
The Pugach-Zuraitis collaboration goes way beyond music. They are true dog lovers. Dan and Nicole have been fostering and rehabilitating Pit bulls for many years, even before they were married. This is began in 2011 with Bianca. That long-lasting love for Bianca is evident on the new album with late Pit bull's face on the cover of the new Big Band album.
"Bianca was really special. We couldn't let her go. We were not trying to keep a dog at the time because we were touring. She was a really good soul and very calm and generous. We had to keep her. She became almost our mascot. We took her to gigs, recordings, videos and festivals. We had her for eight years."
Their campaign to save Pit bulls did not end there. Nicole received a call just before the 2020 pandemic about a two-week foster that just had puppies and that was left outside, tied to a fence. Dan and Nicole took in Bella and gave her a great home for four years. She was a frequent guest on their social media post and they took her everywhere. Bella lost her battle to cancer just this past week.
You can SEE the entire interview with Dan Pugach here.
