Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, arranger and bandleader Nicole Zuraitis is receiving high praise for her Grammy-nominated and first concert album Live at Vic's Las Vegas.
"What's so interesting about Live at Vic's is that when I hear it, I struggle sometimes because it's not perfect and I'm a Capricorn and it has to be perfect. What I realized is that every jazz musician that I've ever adored has made a live album. I think that is part of the tradition and a perfect career builder for a jazz musician to show that you can live "live" and you don't need Melodyne and Auto-Tune. The joy of jazz is the improv."
In the span of a two hour show, Nicole Zuraitis delivers a masterful performance that reflects her full artistry and solidifies why she is such a delight on stage.
Live at Vic’s Las Vegas is a 2026 Grammy Nominee for "Best Jazz Vocal Album" and one of the tracks “All Stars Lead to You” is nominated in the "Best Jazz Performance" category.
Nicole's latest album features her husband, Grammy Award winning drummer and arranger Dan Pugach, as well as Idan Morim (guitar) and Samuel Weber (bass) with special guests Keyon Harold (trumpet), Rachel Eckroth (organ), and Tom Scott (saxophone).
Zuraitis joins Morim for a spectacular performance of "Pure Imagination" on the live album.
"I've been playing that song since 55 Bar. We played there once a month from 2014 until it closed and Idan Morim was with me every single show. We just have this innate understanding of this song. We had an unbelievable experience when we were in Switzerland on tour this year. We were playing a smaller venue and all the windows were open and it was dusk. As we were playing "Pure Imagination" suddenly all the birds started singing. Every time I sing that song and I get choked up about it, I just think hope, hope, hope. Maybe somebody here in the audience just needs to feel like there's hope somewhere."
The 68th Grammy Awards ceremony is set for February 1 in Los Angeles.
You can SEE Doug Doyle's entire interview with Nicole Zuraitis below:
