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 leads The Dan Pugach Nonet and The Dan Pugach Big Band performing his compositions and arrangements.
His most recent Big Band recording is titled Bianca Reimagined: Music for Paws and Persistence and came out in August (On Outside in Music Label) continuing exclusively his original pieces.
Dan Pugach spoke to WBGO’s Doug Doyle about his new album, his passions and aspirations as well as 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 ask me who is the biggest influence on drums it’s Roy Haynes.”
He earned a Bachelor of Music Degree from the Berklee College of Music where he was a pupil of Terri Lynn Carrington, Hal Crook, and Joe Lovano. He holds a Music MA from the City College of New York where he was a pupil of Mike Holober and Scott Reeves.
Oren Pugach credits his incredible talent for arrangement skills to his tutor – 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 to 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 went on board with the suggestion and did very well. His version of Dolly Parton’s hit “Jolene” with Nicole Zuraitis earned him a Grammy nomination (Best Arrangement, Instruments with Vocals). Dan composed for 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 began in 2011 with Bianca. That long-lasting love for Bianca is evident on the new album with the 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 with cancer just this past week.