Nicole Zuraitis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Waterbury, Connecticut |
| Genres | Jazz, Pop |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instrument(s) | Voice, piano |
| Website | www |
Nicole Zuraitis is a Grammy-winning American jazz vocalist, pianist, songwriter and arranger. [1] [2] [3]
Nicole Zuraitis grew up in Connecticut. She attended Litchfield public schools as well as Holy Cross High School in Waterbury, Connecticut. [4]
Zuraitis began to sing jazz with a local community college big band after being encouraged by her high school music director. She also frequently attended Litchfield Jazz Camp, which she attributes to her early interest in jazz. [5] [6] [7]
Zuraitis studied classical voice at New York University. After a brief period performing opera professionally after graduation, she moved back to New York City to pursue songwriting and jazz in 2009. [8] [9] [10] [11]
Zuraitis has released six albums as leader. Her sixth album How Love Begins was co-produced by Christian McBride in 2023. [12] The album won the 2024 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album [13] Zuraitis is also the premier vocalist for the Birdland Big Band and frequently performs at jazz Dizzy’s Club at Lincoln Center, Birdland, the Blue Note Jazz Club, the Carlyle at the Carlyle Hotel, 54 Below and the 55 Bar. She has appeared as a featured soloist with the Savannah Philharmonic Orchestra, Asheville Symphony Orchestra, and Macon Pops and has supported iconic singers like Melanie, Morgan James, Darren Criss and Livingston Taylor on piano and vocals.
Zuraitis's arrangement of Dolly Parton's "Jolene", co-written with drummer and bandleader Dan Pugach, was nominated for a 2019 Grammy, [14] . Zuraitis has collaborated with Christian McBride, David Cook, Gilad Hekselman, Veronica Swift, Benny Benack, Stephen Feifke, Cyrille Aimee, Antonio Sanchez (drummer), Dave Stryker, Omar Hakim, Rachel Z, Helen Sung, and Bernard Purdie. [15]
Zuraitis currently teaches at the vocal faculty at New York University, [16] and at the jazz vocal faculty at the State University of New York at Purchase. [17] She is a Jazz Vocal Instructor at Litchfield Jazz Camp. [18]
Zuraitis' performance of Dolly Parton’s Jolene (song) in collaboration with the Dan Pugach Nonet received a Grammy Award nomination in 2019 for Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals. [19] Her album How Love Begins earned Nicole her second Grammy Award nomination and first award win in 2024 for Best Jazz Vocal Album. [20]
In 2020, Broadway World nominated Zuraitis for five Cabaret Awards. Additionally, she was the 2016 Coffee Music Project New York Songwriting Project winner and 2015 runner-up in The Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition. Zuraitis was named in Connecticut Magazine's "40 under 40". She received the IMEA Best Jazz Album award, the Johnny Mercer Award in the American Traditions Competition and the Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer award. [1] [9] [2] [21] [22] [23] [6] She won the 2021 American Traditions Vocal Competition Gold Medal. [24]
Zuraitis married drummer and composer Dan Pugach in 2018. [25] They currently live in Connecticut. [26] She is of Lithuanian descent through her paternal grandfather. [27]
Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, actress, and philanthropist, known primarily for her decades-long career in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album debut in 1967 with Hello, I'm Dolly, which led to success during the remainder of the 1960s, before her sales and chart peak came during the 1970s and continued into the 1980s. Some of Parton's albums in the 1990s did not sell as well, but she achieved commercial success again in the new millennium and has released albums on various independent labels since 2000, including her own label, Dolly Records.
The Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality works in the bluegrass music genre. Honors in several categories are presented at the ceremony annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position".
The Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album is an award that was first presented in 1959.
The Grammy Award for Best Jazz Performance has been awarded since 1959. Before 1979 the award title did not specify instrumental performances and was presented for instrumental or vocal performances. The award has had several minor name changes:
The Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality works in the vocal jazz music genre. Awards in several categories are presented at the ceremony annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position".
Stacey Kent is an American jazz singer from South Orange, New Jersey.
Coat of Many Colors is the eighth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on October 4, 1971, by RCA Victor. The album was nominated for Album of the Year at the 1972 CMA Awards. It also appeared on Time magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Albums of All Time and at No. 257 on Rolling Stone's 2020 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Parton has cited the title track on numerous occasions as her personal favorite of all the songs she has written.
Dee Dee Bridgewater is an American jazz singer and actress. She is a three-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, as well as a Tony Award-winning stage actress. For 23 years, she was the host of National Public Radio's syndicated radio show JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater. She is a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization.
The Best of Dolly Parton is a compilation album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on November 9, 1970, by RCA Victor. The album was produced by Bob Ferguson. It includes some of Parton's early hits, a few non-single album tracks, and two previously unreleased tracks. The album peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. The single, "Mule Skinner Blues " peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and earned Parton a nomination for Best Female Country Vocal Performance at the 13th Annual Grammy Awards. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA on June 12, 1978, for sales of 500,000 copies.
"Jolene" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Dolly Parton. It was produced by Bob Ferguson and recorded at RCA Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee on May 22, 1973, then released on October 15, 1973 by RCA Victor as the first single and title track from her album of the same name.
Honky Tonk Angels is a collaborative studio album by Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette. It was released on November 2, 1993, by Columbia Records. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA on January 5, 1994, for sales of 500,000 copies.
Gretchen Parlato is an American jazz singer. She has performed and recorded with musicians such as Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Kenny Barron, Esperanza Spalding, Terence Blanchard, Marcus Miller and Lionel Loueke.
Avriel Benjamin Kaplan is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for being the former vocal bass of the a cappella group Pentatonix from 2011 to 2017. As a part of the group, he released five studio albums, won three Grammy Awards, and sold over six million albums.
Kirstin Taylor Maldonado is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She is known for being a vocalist in the a cappella group Pentatonix. With the group, she has released seven studio albums, won three Grammy Awards, and sold over six million albums.
Camaron Marvel Ochs, known profesionally as Cam, is an American country music singer and songwriter. She began her career as a songwriter, composing material for several artists including Sam Smith and Miley Cyrus. In 2010, she released her debut studio album Heartforward on an independent record label. Signing with Sony Music Entertainment, she released her debut major label EP in March 2015, Welcome to Cam Country, followed by the studio album Untamed later that same year. Her third album was The Otherside, released on Triple Tigers in 2020. Her second single "Burning House" is her most commercially successful, peaking at the number two position on Billboard Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay. Spurred by airplay on The Bobby Bones Show, the song received widespread acclaim, including a Best Country Solo Performance nomination at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards and a Triple Platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Cam's music is defined by country pop stylings.
Champian Fulton is an American jazz singer and pianist.
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Connecticut Magazine is an American monthly magazine covering the life, culture, politics, and style of the state of Connecticut. Founded in 1971, it was purchased in 2017 by the Hearst Corporation. It is a sister magazine of TheConnecticut Bride. It is unrelated to the magazine The Connecticut, published from circa 1898 to 1908.
Dumplin' is the soundtrack album by American country music singer-songwriter Dolly Parton for the 2018 film of the same name. It was released on November 30, 2018, by Dolly Records and RCA Nashville. The album features guest performances by Elle King, Alison Krauss, Miranda Lambert, Sia, Mavis Staples and Rhonda Vincent, among others.
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