The Grammy Award-winning Dan Pugach Big Band will perform July 21 at William Paterson University's Shea Center for Performing Arts as part of the Summer Jazz Room Series.
Pugach joined WBGO's Doug Doyle to talk about the upcoming gig and his soaring career that he shares with his wife and Grammy Award-winning vocalist and songwriter Nicole Zuraitis.
Pugach says he and Nicole work extremely well together. Zuraitis was featured on Dan's Big Band album Bianca Reimagined: Music for Paws and Persistence. The recording, a tribute to the their mission to foster and rehabilitate pit bulls, won the Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album in 2025. That album included Nicole's the Grammy-nominated tune "Little Fears" that was an example of how the loving couple makes magic together.
"When we were working the album, our second foster Bella, who got us through the pandemic, was super anxious and difficult at first. T. Through love and care she transformed and became this mush. I wrote her a piece called "Bella The Bear" and when we went back and recorded the third part of this album she got very sick so we recorded an extra song called "Little Fears" which basically describes the perspective of dogs trapped in shelters and cages. That became the whole narrative of the album which is to speaks for those who can't and advocate for dog rescue."
Born in Israel, Pugach served as the drummer for The Air Force Band in the IDF while attending the Rimon School of Jazz at the same time. Dan moved to the United States in 2006 and 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 allows members of his big band to shine on stage.
"I treat the Big Band as a trio and I try to create that sensibility as if you were in a small ensemble setting while enjoying the rich harmonies and wide spectrum of instruments. I really focus on improvisation. That's kind of a lost art in my opinion in modern big band writing. So I try to feature everyone in the band. It's not just the one or two tenor or trumpet players. I really go through everybody. Each song features a different person. By the end of the record, if you listen all the way through you will hear everybody improvise. That is my goal. That's how I keep the band members happy and involved."
Thirteen members of the 18-piece Dan Pugach Big Band traveled to LA for the 67th Grammy Awards.
The July 21 event at WP's Shea Center for Performing Arts will feature guest vocalist Allison Rumley.
You can SEE Doug Doyle's entire interview with Dan Pugach below.
