Blaise Lantana talked with Grammy winning vocalist, pianist and composer Nicole Zuraitis about her songwriting, her award winning albums "How Love Begins" and "Live At Vic's Las Vegas," her current tour, and her upcoming concept album, "The Devil I Knew," produced by Larry Klein (July 17). Learn more about Nicole Zuraitis at nicolezmusic.com.
Transcript/Text Alternative
Nicole Zuraitis Interview
[0:00 - 0:34] [Music: “Middle C” - Mid-tempo jazz ballad with prominent piano and drums]
Blaise Lantana: That is Nicole Zuraitis singing to you, Middle C, on Jazz PHX on Blaze Lantana. Nicole is here talking about her music and her show coming up Monday, June 15th, at the Musical Instrument Museum, the MIM. And Nicole is a Grammy winner, a songwriter, a singer, and secretly has been a trombone player. Well, welcome, Nicole, to K-Jazz. I'm glad you could come and talk about your music. And so surprising that you wrote all the music. I mean, it's very unusual for a singer to write all the tunes, you know? How did you get into that? Were you always writing?
Nicole Zuraitis: Actually, no. I started to write music when I was 20. I mean, I was drawn to jazz because of the of the improvisation and and the the freedom of expression through jazz. Uh but I didn't love scat singing. But I found that creating melodies came naturally to me. Um but I was a little bit of a later start with with writing. And um it felt scary for a while, almost like I was reading my diary to the audience every single day, and I would, you know, eat the words. Um but the I think just by the nature of the beast, I I I loved Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan and and um incredible artists that, you know, was teaching me the language of jazz. But I always was thinking, I can't sing it better than them, so I better write music.
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Blaise: Good point. Good point.
Nicole: You know?
Blaise: But, yeah. Singers often take the song and change it, change the timing, change the harmonic ideas with it, so that does happen. But to write every tune on the album is not that common for a jazz singer. Right? I mean, you may have noticed this. So it's pretty cool. So are you Are other people doing your songs as well?
Nicole: It's I'm so glad you asked that because after I won the Grammy for How Love Begins, which, which as as you mentioned, was all original music, I realized it was the only time ever that had that that had happened, as you've kind of pointed out. It's it's it's a little bit unique, especially in jazz vocal. Um and I wanted to get to the root of why and why don't we have a canon of living songwriters like we have the canon of the Great American Songbook? So I started something called the Modern Songbook Society, which is to create a canon of living jazz singer-songwriters so that jazz singers and jazz singer-songwriters can connect and sing each other's songs. So when you ask me, do other people sing your songs? Yes, but do I wish tons of people had access to my music and were knew that they were invited to sing songs that I wrote? Absolutely. So that's why I started Modern Songbook Society, to bring together jazz singers and jazz singer-songwriters all to create a new canon.
Blaise: Right. Great idea. Great idea, Nicole. Now tell me about this next song, The Coffee Song, which I'm kind of partial to.
Nicole: I love First of all, I love your taste. Middle C is you know like a little ditty and then uh The Coffee Song is also what I what I call a little ditty. My my husband, Dan Pugach, is an incredible drummer, composer, arranger. He won the Grammy last year for Best Large Jazz Ensemble, and I'm super proud. I love bragging about him. But uh he before was he was a full-time drummer was a uh barista.
Blaise: Oh!
Nicole: And so I've had really really fancy coffee from him since we met in 2009. And so I wrote him this Is he still Is he still making coffee for you? Tell me what kind of coffee machine do you have.
Blaise: Oh my gosh, we have Well, we we have a Clive machine. He just got a brand brand-new fancy EC something. It cost more than it should have, but it's He doesn't have any vices or any hobbies, like
Nicole: So this is it. This is his uh, yeah. It's pretty cool. So are you
Blaise: I love to thrift. He can have his fancy coffee. And trust me, I spend more on on clothes than he does on the coffee machine. Um yeah, so he's just he's just fabulous, and um it's a little bit offensive, this love song, but uh Oh, it's a little [laughter] Well, let's listen to the coffee song. So did you write this for him? Is this for
Nicole: I did. I did.
Blaise: All right, let's listen to Nicole Zuraitis doing The Coffee Song on Jazz PHX.
[3:32 - 4:40] [Music:”The Coffee Spng” - Uptempo jazz ballad with dynamic vocals, double bass, and soft drums]
Blaise: That's Nicole Zuraitis. Happened to wake you up today with a latte? That's her song, The Coffee Song, on Jazz PHX. And she has on this album, which is Live at Vic's, she has Tom Scott on sax and Arizona's own Rachel Eckroth at the piano. And we're going to hear another tune from that album. This is called All Stars Lead to You. Now, tell me about this tune. How did you write this tune?
Nicole: I just knew that you were a songwriter. That's why when you chose all original music, I just appreciate you so much. All Stars Lead to You, I wrote about uh someone that we someone that people can relate to, someone who thinks that the world revolves around only them. I did a lot of research into narcissism and Yes! There's so many people, especially in the music industry, that just every all stars lead to you, like the only star in the sky is that one person um despite there being billions of other stars, so Right, right. So that is That's That's what inspired you. Now, you know, the thing I think about when you say that is, I interview a lot of jazz musicians and jazz musicians are not necessarily like that. Most of them, a few who may remain nameless at the moment, but often trumpet players, but and Marian McPartland agreed with with me on that. But in general, jazz musicians are so knowledgeable, so good at what they do, so hard-working and humble. I I very rarely meet someone who isn't humble, you know what I mean? About their work.
Blaise: Totally. Yeah, I mean, anyone with any sort of emotional intelligence is going to realize that there's always something to learn and that you it's it's impossible to know everything. Yeah. And then nobody gets into jazz because they're they want to be like a superstar. Right. We're all here because we love it. We love it. Yeah, and who else who else is Somebody said, "Well, you know, I'm famous." "No, no, no. No, wait. I'm jazz famous." You know, that's not like real famous. It's specialty jazz famous. I'm Blaise Lantana, and I'm talking with singer, songwriter, jazz artist Nicole Zuraitis. And she has an album out called Live at Vic's, and she has uh one called How Love Begins. We're going to hear something from that. And she's got a new one coming out, too. Tell me about the new album that you have coming out pretty soon.
Blaise: Yeah, I'm really excited. In July 17th, my new album called The Devil I Knew, uh is is coming out. It was produced by Larry Klein, the iconic uh bassist and producer. And sweetheart! He's such a He's such a mensch. He's so sweet. Um and it has been rolling out in five chapters. It's uh probably one of my more uh I don't I guess epic works. Oh, so does it have like a theme? Yeah, it's 20 tracks. Yep, there's a theme. And the theme is that um it's a self-reckoning rect album where you realize that the villain in the story is you, as opposed to you're not the victim, you're not the hero. But it's it's it's uh realizing that you're kind of breaking up with the old version of yourself.
Nicole: Wow. So are you Do you think you're writing differently now that you have recognition? Do you feel more comfortable opening up about some of these things? Cuz you've you've got a Grammy, two Grammy Awards for your work, other people are doing your music. Is it like
Blaise: If anything, I I feel I feel more freedom to write, but I also feel terrified of people reading into the things, yeah. Uh and oftentimes, when I start talking about the record and people hear some of the songs, they'll say, "Oh, is it a breakup album? Are you and Dan okay?" I'm like I'm like, I've been alive for 41 years, like trust me. It doesn't have to Songwriters, we don't write only in the moment. We write imagining where we were, what what we haven't like let go of, what we want to have said in the past, you know? A lot of that is is what the record is. So yeah, it's it's terrifying. It's You know, you're a songwriter. It's terrifying. Um But but when you're you have It's changing. I mean, coming from The Coffee Song to uh writing The Devil I Knew, it's a big, yeah, big growth spurt there. So it's it is exciting to I'm looking forward to hearing it in July. We'll hear that from Nicole Zuraitis. Let's listen now to this tune, All Stars Lead to You, on Jazz PHX. And by the way, you can see if this applies to you. You might be in trouble, listeners. Here's Nicole Zuraitis, All Stars Lead to You, on Jazz PHX.
[6:37 - 7:22] [Music: “All Stars Lead To You” - Bright, uptempo jazz with prominent brass instruments, percussion, and piano]
Blaise: You were having too much fun there. That's Live at Vic's. Where is Vic's?
Nicole: That's in Las Vegas, baby. All right! [laughter]
Blaise: Okay.
Nicole: And that was such a beautiful thing because Sue and Paul Lowden, who are the owners of Vic's, they're also gigantic supporters of jazz and the arts and uh Sue is Lithuanian and my last name, Zuraitis, is Lithuanian. A lot of people think it's Greek. But uh when she saw that I was playing at her club, she's like, "Oh, my Lithuanian sister." So we've we've formed this familial bond. Oh. And um there was a fan who was in the audience at a show at Vic's and wrote to me and said, "You should do a live record." And then the next time I went to Vic's, he was there, and so were the owners of Vic's. And I said, "Hey, Jay, didn't you say I should do a live record?" And when I got off stage, Sue and Paul were like, "Let's do a live record." So they were so gracious. They they um hosted the entire album, and that's how we got Tom Scott and Rachel Eckroth and Keon Harold and of course, Dan Pugach on drums, Idan Morim on guitar, and Sam Weber on bass, and myself on piano and voice. And, you know, that's who's coming to the MIM this Monday on the 15th. But to have those additional three literal all-stars. Yeah. Not all-stars lead to them. Right, right. Not narcissists all-stars. Right. Then we are going to be playing at the MIM, the Musical Instrument Museum. Have you played there before?
Blaise: No, but it's lovely. It is lovely there. It is really a The people are lovely. They're they're just delightful. "Oh, do you want the piano 6 in to the left or 6 in to the right? Let me get that for you." They are amazing to to the artists and, you know, the sound is is great. Uh I think you'll really enjoy it. It's a lovely hall. It's just like 300, just under 300 seat theater. Wow. I sure hope people come. Right. Well, we're telling them about it, why they want to come. You can want to come out and hear Nicole Zuraitis and hear her songs and find out more about her and Do you talk when you're on stage? Do you talk?
Nicole: Oh, do I talk? Sometimes do I talk? [laughter] I talk I talk I talk like I'm in someone's living room. That's that's how that's how much I talk. Yeah. That's good. Yeah. So you talk a little about the song and about what's happening and all of that. Yeah. Sure. Sure. Yeah. So Nicole Zuraitis is going to be at the MIM on June 15th. That's Monday night. And uh you can find out more about that on our website, jazzphx.org. Now, how was it working with Tom Scott?
Blaise: Oh my gosh, speaking of sweethearts, he was he was so great. He came in because he's friends with Sue and Paul, and uh he came in as a as a co-producer. And what I loved about it is that he was ready to assume that I was a singer who needs to be led. And instead, he Yeah, there's a little of that, yeah. Always a little of that. And then um what he discovered is that he didn't. You had it. I'm a Capricorn woman with an MBA who has all the ideas. And I already So it was really great to just have him and his uh legendary uh sound and persona just be there to to be the shining moments in the songs, as opposed to like making him work for everything. You know, he was it was so lovely. That's fun. That's really lovely, too, that you're working together. And so how did you get started playing jazz? Did your parent I know you said you were in the school band and the community college band and then you got up to sing, but how did you get interested in jazz? Were your parents into jazz at all?
Nicole: No, actually, they were into rock and roll. And um and and I guess, yeah. So what, probably a school teacher? Is that what pulled you in? Well, they saw that um the Litchfield Jazz Camp had just started near near to us, and so they said, "Do you want to go to jazz camp?" And I said, "I don't know. What's jazz?" And so I went with my soccer shorts and my trombone and was trying to learn jazz. And I was like, "I don't think I like this. Why is everybody playing all these notes like for 10 minutes each? What's the melody? Like, I don't I don't get it." Um I still feel that way, to be honest. Um but that's probably why I'm I'm a songwriter. But um and then they would say, "Do you want to improvise?" And I'm like, "No, I do I do not want to do that, cuz that is true terror." Uh but I grew to love it uh because it was a different language. It really I did not understand the language when I was young, and it took me a long time to really adapt to learning how to speak it and learn like the true tradition and and time-honored craft of of jazz. So Were you Were you the only trombone woman? Were you the only woman on the trombone in the Were you the only only woman playing a horn in the entire big band?
Blaise: Yeah, just Ella Fitzgerald was was the record that that got you. So were you the only trombone woman? Were you the only woman on the trombone in the Were you the only only woman playing a horn in the entire big band?
Nicole: Yes. Yeah. We got more now. There's more. I see young women in in big bands and I go up to them. It's happening. It's happening. [laughter] And I say, don't don't quit. Don't ever quit. Don't stop. Exactly. Well, we have a We have a wonderful program here through the Nash, the the our jazz, local jazz club, that it that encourages young uh women to play. And they have a whole slew of We have two women who are leading that, and then it's all women in the young women high school age and yeah, that are doing jazz. They're encouraging them to do jazz, and I like the idea that it's all girls instead of having it mixed, although because you know you have the opportunity to be in a mixed band in school all the time. So it's kind of a nice option to have a different vibe, you know, going on with it. Yeah. So
Blaise: Yeah, it's improvisation is so uh personal anyways. I I think maybe I would have improvised if I wasn't already an awkward woman girl, yeah, who hated her body and herself and you know, I just I was like, "And you also want me to make up, improvise melody on the trombone right now? Like are you serious? Do you want me to turn into a puddle and melt and like never to be seen again?" That's how I felt. So so this is so so this is just with the trombone. How did you make the transition to get up in front of the band and start singing? How did Where was that courage?
Nicole: The band director. I mean, I always loved theater. I was I wanted to be the lead, but I just didn't have the right look or uh voice at the time. And I was training classically, and I had, you know, good pitch. And my the band director, Joe Giaquinto, was like, "Can you sing this uh Someone to Watch Over Me, George Gershwin chart? Here's go check out Ella Fitzgerald." I like went to the record store, bought that. And then he's like, "Holy smokes, you have a you can sing jazz." I said, "I don't know what that means, but I'm imitating Ella. That's what I'm doing. I just I just imitate the the small inflections." Yeah. That's a good start. It's a good start imitating Ella, right? Yeah. Exactly. I mean, I know a lot of singers if they started by Betty Carter, then they were then they were imitating Betty. Like a lot of my inflections definitely come from Ella, but they also come from Eva Cassidy. [laughter] You know what I mean? Like I I did both. Um equally obsessed. I'm talking with Nicole Zuraitis. She is here, and she's going to be here Monday evening at the MIM, the Musical Instrument Museum. That's June the 15th. And uh the concert is happening at the MIM. Find out how to get tickets on our website, jazzphx.org. Now, we're going to hear another song, Sentimental Journey, with Champion Fulton, who invited you to be on on that big band singer album. And then we're going to hear The Good Ways from the album How Love Begins. We'll talk about that. Here's Nicole Zuraitis with Champion Fulton, Sentimental Journey.
[12:21 - 13:00] [Music: “Sentimental Journey” - Slow-tempo jazz with prominent piano and brass instruments accompaniment]
Blaise: Mhm, that's Nicole Zuraitis with The Good Ways, and she has Christian McBride on the bass. I could tell he's got that sound, that unique sound of his playing the bass on The Good Ways. That's from her album How Love Begins. I'm Blaise Lantana, good to be here with Nicole Zuraitis. She's performing Monday, June 15th. You can still get tickets. It's at the MIM, the Musical Instrument Museum here in Phoenix, and uh we look forward to having you here to do that. We're going to hear another song, Well Planned, Well Played. So tell me about this tune.
Nicole: This was inspired by uh I think I was I did a lot of background gigs in in the city. That's how I met Christian McBride was playing piano across from Carnegie Hall at the Redeye Grill. And um the [laughter] I was playing a Randy Newman song, uh Guilty, and then I went home and I was like, "I want to write a song that's like Randy Newman vibes." And so that's that's where Well Planned, Well Played came from. And I'm really glad that you're playing that cuz I always was really excited about that song. Speaking of Modern Songbook Society, you know, it's like AABA, right, traditional jazz form, but with modern influences like folk, country, and and blues. So where does the influence come in? Does it come in in the chords you're using or in the style of singing that you're doing? How would you say you're bringing in some of that folk blues stuff?
Blaise: That's a great question. A little bit of both. It's like the the way that the the rhythm sits, it's not like a traditional uh like 12/8 feeling. It's um or the way that I would inflect the voice, it just has a little bit more grit. Like Bonnie Raitt meets Sarah Vaughan. [laughter] I like that. I like that. I'd like to hear that. Well, guess we will when we listen to Nicole Zuraitis. You're going to hear it on Monday. This is Nicole Zuraitis, Grammy Award winner for her album that she wrote all the tunes for and sang and played. So how did the piano come in? Cuz you talked about your playing trombone. When did you Were you playing piano from when you were little or is that new?
Nicole: I tried to take piano lessons, but I played by ear and I was stubborn and so I just quit immediately. [laughter] And I also can't read music well, just like I couldn't read the music for the trombone, but I could play it by ear. So um I would dabble in piano, but never play. And then when I moved back to New York in 2009 to be a singer, then I auditioned for a wedding band and I mentioned that I played the piano, and they said, "Oh, that's interesting." So I played terribly uh for my audition, and they hired me as a piano player. And so I was forced to learn right on the job, essential really, um humiliating myself for like 3 years, like crying over how to play Don't Stop Believin' on the piano. Um but, you know, I was being paid to practice and being paid to learn how to play the piano. And the next thing you know, I was playing, "Well, I don't have to hire a piano player, so maybe I'll just play the piano." And so my husband, Dan, and also Christian McBride, those guys both said, "Why are you going to get a different person on your albums when you play? You wrote the songs. Play the piano." I said, "But I'm not Herbie Hancock." And now that I'm 41, I'm like, I can't believe I actually [laughter] gave any sort of, you know, I can't believe I cared. I wrote the stuff. Let me play the piano. Right. I don't have to be shredding right to be a piano player. Right. Well, that's good advice. That's I think that's good advice. Let's listen to Nicole Zuraitis. Thank you for coming by, talking with us about your music. Thank you so much. Looking forward to your concert on Monday, June 15th at the MIM, the Musical Instrument Museum. Should be a great great concert.
Nicole: It was such a great chat with you, Blaise. And I'm and I'm looking forward to hearing your music, and I'm really grateful to Michelle Robbins as well. She's always been really really kind to me, so I I'm really grateful to you guys. Thank you.
Blaise: Thanks. Here's Well Planned, Well Played, Nicole Zuraitis on Jazz PHX.
[16:47 - 17:34] [Music: “Well Planned, Well Played” - Melancholic, slow-tempo jazz with piano and subtle cymbal taps]
[0:00 - 0:34] [Music: “Middle C” - Mid-tempo jazz ballad with prominent piano and drums]
Blaise Lantana: That is Nicole Zuraitis singing to you, Middle C, on Jazz PHX on Blaze Lantana. Nicole is here talking about her music and her show coming up Monday, June 15th, at the Musical Instrument Museum, the MIM. And Nicole is a Grammy winner, a songwriter, a singer, and secretly has been a trombone player. Well, welcome, Nicole, to K-Jazz. I'm glad you could come and talk about your music. And so surprising that you wrote all the music. I mean, it's very unusual for a singer to write all the tunes, you know? How did you get into that? Were you always writing?
Nicole Zuraitis: Actually, no. I started to write music when I was 20. I mean, I was drawn to jazz because of the of the improvisation and and the the freedom of expression through jazz. Uh but I didn't love scat singing. But I found that creating melodies came naturally to me. Um but I was a little bit of a later start with with writing. And um it felt scary for a while, almost like I was reading my diary to the audience every single day, and I would, you know, eat the words. Um but the I think just by the nature of the beast, I I I loved Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan and and um incredible artists that, you know, was teaching me the language of jazz. But I always was thinking, I can't sing it better than them, so I better write music.
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Blaise: Good point. Good point.
Nicole: You know?
Blaise: But, yeah. Singers often take the song and change it, change the timing, change the harmonic ideas with it, so that does happen. But to write every tune on the album is not that common for a jazz singer. Right? I mean, you may have noticed this. So it's pretty cool. So are you Are other people doing your songs as well?
Nicole: It's I'm so glad you asked that because after I won the Grammy for How Love Begins, which, which as as you mentioned, was all original music, I realized it was the only time ever that had that that had happened, as you've kind of pointed out. It's it's it's a little bit unique, especially in jazz vocal. Um and I wanted to get to the root of why and why don't we have a canon of living songwriters like we have the canon of the Great American Songbook? So I started something called the Modern Songbook Society, which is to create a canon of living jazz singer-songwriters so that jazz singers and jazz singer-songwriters can connect and sing each other's songs. So when you ask me, do other people sing your songs? Yes, but do I wish tons of people had access to my music and were knew that they were invited to sing songs that I wrote? Absolutely. So that's why I started Modern Songbook Society, to bring together jazz singers and jazz singer-songwriters all to create a new canon.
Blaise: Right. Great idea. Great idea, Nicole. Now tell me about this next song, The Coffee Song, which I'm kind of partial to.
Nicole: I love First of all, I love your taste. Middle C is you know like a little ditty and then uh The Coffee Song is also what I what I call a little ditty. My my husband, Dan Pugach, is an incredible drummer, composer, arranger. He won the Grammy last year for Best Large Jazz Ensemble, and I'm super proud. I love bragging about him. But uh he before was he was a full-time drummer was a uh barista.
Blaise: Oh!
Nicole: And so I've had really really fancy coffee from him since we met in 2009. And so I wrote him this Is he still Is he still making coffee for you? Tell me what kind of coffee machine do you have.
Blaise: Oh my gosh, we have Well, we we have a Clive machine. He just got a brand brand-new fancy EC something. It cost more than it should have, but it's He doesn't have any vices or any hobbies, like
Nicole: So this is it. This is his uh, yeah. It's pretty cool. So are you
Blaise: I love to thrift. He can have his fancy coffee. And trust me, I spend more on on clothes than he does on the coffee machine. Um yeah, so he's just he's just fabulous, and um it's a little bit offensive, this love song, but uh Oh, it's a little [laughter] Well, let's listen to the coffee song. So did you write this for him? Is this for
Nicole: I did. I did.
Blaise: All right, let's listen to Nicole Zuraitis doing The Coffee Song on Jazz PHX.
[3:32 - 4:40] [Music:”The Coffee Spng” - Uptempo jazz ballad with dynamic vocals, double bass, and soft drums]
Blaise: That's Nicole Zuraitis. Happened to wake you up today with a latte? That's her song, The Coffee Song, on Jazz PHX. And she has on this album, which is Live at Vic's, she has Tom Scott on sax and Arizona's own Rachel Eckroth at the piano. And we're going to hear another tune from that album. This is called All Stars Lead to You. Now, tell me about this tune. How did you write this tune?
Nicole: I just knew that you were a songwriter. That's why when you chose all original music, I just appreciate you so much. All Stars Lead to You, I wrote about uh someone that we someone that people can relate to, someone who thinks that the world revolves around only them. I did a lot of research into narcissism and Yes! There's so many people, especially in the music industry, that just every all stars lead to you, like the only star in the sky is that one person um despite there being billions of other stars, so Right, right. So that is That's That's what inspired you. Now, you know, the thing I think about when you say that is, I interview a lot of jazz musicians and jazz musicians are not necessarily like that. Most of them, a few who may remain nameless at the moment, but often trumpet players, but and Marian McPartland agreed with with me on that. But in general, jazz musicians are so knowledgeable, so good at what they do, so hard-working and humble. I I very rarely meet someone who isn't humble, you know what I mean? About their work.
Blaise: Totally. Yeah, I mean, anyone with any sort of emotional intelligence is going to realize that there's always something to learn and that you it's it's impossible to know everything. Yeah. And then nobody gets into jazz because they're they want to be like a superstar. Right. We're all here because we love it. We love it. Yeah, and who else who else is Somebody said, "Well, you know, I'm famous." "No, no, no. No, wait. I'm jazz famous." You know, that's not like real famous. It's specialty jazz famous. I'm Blaise Lantana, and I'm talking with singer, songwriter, jazz artist Nicole Zuraitis. And she has an album out called Live at Vic's, and she has uh one called How Love Begins. We're going to hear something from that. And she's got a new one coming out, too. Tell me about the new album that you have coming out pretty soon.
Blaise: Yeah, I'm really excited. In July 17th, my new album called The Devil I Knew, uh is is coming out. It was produced by Larry Klein, the iconic uh bassist and producer. And sweetheart! He's such a He's such a mensch. He's so sweet. Um and it has been rolling out in five chapters. It's uh probably one of my more uh I don't I guess epic works. Oh, so does it have like a theme? Yeah, it's 20 tracks. Yep, there's a theme. And the theme is that um it's a self-reckoning rect album where you realize that the villain in the story is you, as opposed to you're not the victim, you're not the hero. But it's it's it's uh realizing that you're kind of breaking up with the old version of yourself.
Nicole: Wow. So are you Do you think you're writing differently now that you have recognition? Do you feel more comfortable opening up about some of these things? Cuz you've you've got a Grammy, two Grammy Awards for your work, other people are doing your music. Is it like
Blaise: If anything, I I feel I feel more freedom to write, but I also feel terrified of people reading into the things, yeah. Uh and oftentimes, when I start talking about the record and people hear some of the songs, they'll say, "Oh, is it a breakup album? Are you and Dan okay?" I'm like I'm like, I've been alive for 41 years, like trust me. It doesn't have to Songwriters, we don't write only in the moment. We write imagining where we were, what what we haven't like let go of, what we want to have said in the past, you know? A lot of that is is what the record is. So yeah, it's it's terrifying. It's You know, you're a songwriter. It's terrifying. Um But but when you're you have It's changing. I mean, coming from The Coffee Song to uh writing The Devil I Knew, it's a big, yeah, big growth spurt there. So it's it is exciting to I'm looking forward to hearing it in July. We'll hear that from Nicole Zuraitis. Let's listen now to this tune, All Stars Lead to You, on Jazz PHX. And by the way, you can see if this applies to you. You might be in trouble, listeners. Here's Nicole Zuraitis, All Stars Lead to You, on Jazz PHX.
[6:37 - 7:22] [Music: “All Stars Lead To You” - Bright, uptempo jazz with prominent brass instruments, percussion, and piano]
Blaise: You were having too much fun there. That's Live at Vic's. Where is Vic's?
Nicole: That's in Las Vegas, baby. All right! [laughter]
Blaise: Okay.
Nicole: And that was such a beautiful thing because Sue and Paul Lowden, who are the owners of Vic's, they're also gigantic supporters of jazz and the arts and uh Sue is Lithuanian and my last name, Zuraitis, is Lithuanian. A lot of people think it's Greek. But uh when she saw that I was playing at her club, she's like, "Oh, my Lithuanian sister." So we've we've formed this familial bond. Oh. And um there was a fan who was in the audience at a show at Vic's and wrote to me and said, "You should do a live record." And then the next time I went to Vic's, he was there, and so were the owners of Vic's. And I said, "Hey, Jay, didn't you say I should do a live record?" And when I got off stage, Sue and Paul were like, "Let's do a live record." So they were so gracious. They they um hosted the entire album, and that's how we got Tom Scott and Rachel Eckroth and Keon Harold and of course, Dan Pugach on drums, Idan Morim on guitar, and Sam Weber on bass, and myself on piano and voice. And, you know, that's who's coming to the MIM this Monday on the 15th. But to have those additional three literal all-stars. Yeah. Not all-stars lead to them. Right, right. Not narcissists all-stars. Right. Then we are going to be playing at the MIM, the Musical Instrument Museum. Have you played there before?
Blaise: No, but it's lovely. It is lovely there. It is really a The people are lovely. They're they're just delightful. "Oh, do you want the piano 6 in to the left or 6 in to the right? Let me get that for you." They are amazing to to the artists and, you know, the sound is is great. Uh I think you'll really enjoy it. It's a lovely hall. It's just like 300, just under 300 seat theater. Wow. I sure hope people come. Right. Well, we're telling them about it, why they want to come. You can want to come out and hear Nicole Zuraitis and hear her songs and find out more about her and Do you talk when you're on stage? Do you talk?
Nicole: Oh, do I talk? Sometimes do I talk? [laughter] I talk I talk I talk like I'm in someone's living room. That's that's how that's how much I talk. Yeah. That's good. Yeah. So you talk a little about the song and about what's happening and all of that. Yeah. Sure. Sure. Yeah. So Nicole Zuraitis is going to be at the MIM on June 15th. That's Monday night. And uh you can find out more about that on our website, jazzphx.org. Now, how was it working with Tom Scott?
Blaise: Oh my gosh, speaking of sweethearts, he was he was so great. He came in because he's friends with Sue and Paul, and uh he came in as a as a co-producer. And what I loved about it is that he was ready to assume that I was a singer who needs to be led. And instead, he Yeah, there's a little of that, yeah. Always a little of that. And then um what he discovered is that he didn't. You had it. I'm a Capricorn woman with an MBA who has all the ideas. And I already So it was really great to just have him and his uh legendary uh sound and persona just be there to to be the shining moments in the songs, as opposed to like making him work for everything. You know, he was it was so lovely. That's fun. That's really lovely, too, that you're working together. And so how did you get started playing jazz? Did your parent I know you said you were in the school band and the community college band and then you got up to sing, but how did you get interested in jazz? Were your parents into jazz at all?
Nicole: No, actually, they were into rock and roll. And um and and I guess, yeah. So what, probably a school teacher? Is that what pulled you in? Well, they saw that um the Litchfield Jazz Camp had just started near near to us, and so they said, "Do you want to go to jazz camp?" And I said, "I don't know. What's jazz?" And so I went with my soccer shorts and my trombone and was trying to learn jazz. And I was like, "I don't think I like this. Why is everybody playing all these notes like for 10 minutes each? What's the melody? Like, I don't I don't get it." Um I still feel that way, to be honest. Um but that's probably why I'm I'm a songwriter. But um and then they would say, "Do you want to improvise?" And I'm like, "No, I do I do not want to do that, cuz that is true terror." Uh but I grew to love it uh because it was a different language. It really I did not understand the language when I was young, and it took me a long time to really adapt to learning how to speak it and learn like the true tradition and and time-honored craft of of jazz. So Were you Were you the only trombone woman? Were you the only woman on the trombone in the Were you the only only woman playing a horn in the entire big band?
Blaise: Yeah, just Ella Fitzgerald was was the record that that got you. So were you the only trombone woman? Were you the only woman on the trombone in the Were you the only only woman playing a horn in the entire big band?
Nicole: Yes. Yeah. We got more now. There's more. I see young women in in big bands and I go up to them. It's happening. It's happening. [laughter] And I say, don't don't quit. Don't ever quit. Don't stop. Exactly. Well, we have a We have a wonderful program here through the Nash, the the our jazz, local jazz club, that it that encourages young uh women to play. And they have a whole slew of We have two women who are leading that, and then it's all women in the young women high school age and yeah, that are doing jazz. They're encouraging them to do jazz, and I like the idea that it's all girls instead of having it mixed, although because you know you have the opportunity to be in a mixed band in school all the time. So it's kind of a nice option to have a different vibe, you know, going on with it. Yeah. So
Blaise: Yeah, it's improvisation is so uh personal anyways. I I think maybe I would have improvised if I wasn't already an awkward woman girl, yeah, who hated her body and herself and you know, I just I was like, "And you also want me to make up, improvise melody on the trombone right now? Like are you serious? Do you want me to turn into a puddle and melt and like never to be seen again?" That's how I felt. So so this is so so this is just with the trombone. How did you make the transition to get up in front of the band and start singing? How did Where was that courage?
Nicole: The band director. I mean, I always loved theater. I was I wanted to be the lead, but I just didn't have the right look or uh voice at the time. And I was training classically, and I had, you know, good pitch. And my the band director, Joe Giaquinto, was like, "Can you sing this uh Someone to Watch Over Me, George Gershwin chart? Here's go check out Ella Fitzgerald." I like went to the record store, bought that. And then he's like, "Holy smokes, you have a you can sing jazz." I said, "I don't know what that means, but I'm imitating Ella. That's what I'm doing. I just I just imitate the the small inflections." Yeah. That's a good start. It's a good start imitating Ella, right? Yeah. Exactly. I mean, I know a lot of singers if they started by Betty Carter, then they were then they were imitating Betty. Like a lot of my inflections definitely come from Ella, but they also come from Eva Cassidy. [laughter] You know what I mean? Like I I did both. Um equally obsessed. I'm talking with Nicole Zuraitis. She is here, and she's going to be here Monday evening at the MIM, the Musical Instrument Museum. That's June the 15th. And uh the concert is happening at the MIM. Find out how to get tickets on our website, jazzphx.org. Now, we're going to hear another song, Sentimental Journey, with Champion Fulton, who invited you to be on on that big band singer album. And then we're going to hear The Good Ways from the album How Love Begins. We'll talk about that. Here's Nicole Zuraitis with Champion Fulton, Sentimental Journey.
[12:21 - 13:00] [Music: “Sentimental Journey” - Slow-tempo jazz with prominent piano and brass instruments accompaniment]
Blaise: Mhm, that's Nicole Zuraitis with The Good Ways, and she has Christian McBride on the bass. I could tell he's got that sound, that unique sound of his playing the bass on The Good Ways. That's from her album How Love Begins. I'm Blaise Lantana, good to be here with Nicole Zuraitis. She's performing Monday, June 15th. You can still get tickets. It's at the MIM, the Musical Instrument Museum here in Phoenix, and uh we look forward to having you here to do that. We're going to hear another song, Well Planned, Well Played. So tell me about this tune.
Nicole: This was inspired by uh I think I was I did a lot of background gigs in in the city. That's how I met Christian McBride was playing piano across from Carnegie Hall at the Redeye Grill. And um the [laughter] I was playing a Randy Newman song, uh Guilty, and then I went home and I was like, "I want to write a song that's like Randy Newman vibes." And so that's that's where Well Planned, Well Played came from. And I'm really glad that you're playing that cuz I always was really excited about that song. Speaking of Modern Songbook Society, you know, it's like AABA, right, traditional jazz form, but with modern influences like folk, country, and and blues. So where does the influence come in? Does it come in in the chords you're using or in the style of singing that you're doing? How would you say you're bringing in some of that folk blues stuff?
Blaise: That's a great question. A little bit of both. It's like the the way that the the rhythm sits, it's not like a traditional uh like 12/8 feeling. It's um or the way that I would inflect the voice, it just has a little bit more grit. Like Bonnie Raitt meets Sarah Vaughan. [laughter] I like that. I like that. I'd like to hear that. Well, guess we will when we listen to Nicole Zuraitis. You're going to hear it on Monday. This is Nicole Zuraitis, Grammy Award winner for her album that she wrote all the tunes for and sang and played. So how did the piano come in? Cuz you talked about your playing trombone. When did you Were you playing piano from when you were little or is that new?
Nicole: I tried to take piano lessons, but I played by ear and I was stubborn and so I just quit immediately. [laughter] And I also can't read music well, just like I couldn't read the music for the trombone, but I could play it by ear. So um I would dabble in piano, but never play. And then when I moved back to New York in 2009 to be a singer, then I auditioned for a wedding band and I mentioned that I played the piano, and they said, "Oh, that's interesting." So I played terribly uh for my audition, and they hired me as a piano player. And so I was forced to learn right on the job, essential really, um humiliating myself for like 3 years, like crying over how to play Don't Stop Believin' on the piano. Um but, you know, I was being paid to practice and being paid to learn how to play the piano. And the next thing you know, I was playing, "Well, I don't have to hire a piano player, so maybe I'll just play the piano." And so my husband, Dan, and also Christian McBride, those guys both said, "Why are you going to get a different person on your albums when you play? You wrote the songs. Play the piano." I said, "But I'm not Herbie Hancock." And now that I'm 41, I'm like, I can't believe I actually [laughter] gave any sort of, you know, I can't believe I cared. I wrote the stuff. Let me play the piano. Right. I don't have to be shredding right to be a piano player. Right. Well, that's good advice. That's I think that's good advice. Let's listen to Nicole Zuraitis. Thank you for coming by, talking with us about your music. Thank you so much. Looking forward to your concert on Monday, June 15th at the MIM, the Musical Instrument Museum. Should be a great great concert.
Nicole: It was such a great chat with you, Blaise. And I'm and I'm looking forward to hearing your music, and I'm really grateful to Michelle Robbins as well. She's always been really really kind to me, so I I'm really grateful to you guys. Thank you.
Blaise: Thanks. Here's Well Planned, Well Played, Nicole Zuraitis on Jazz PHX.
[16:47 - 17:34] [Music: “Well Planned, Well Played” - Melancholic, slow-tempo jazz with piano and subtle cymbal taps]