GRAMMY-winning vocalist, pianist, & songwriter Nicole Zuraitis shows she is a one-of-a-kind artist with the release of her 1st ever concert album, Live at Vic’s, recorded at the eponymous Las Vegas jazz club. In the span of a 2 hour show, she delivers a masterful performance that reflects the full scope of her artistry and makes clear why she stands out in today’s musical landscape. Nicole effortlessly shows her mastery of multiple roles: Singer. Pianist. Improviser. Songwriter. Storyteller. Arranger. A masterful interpreter of jazz, pop, and anything else she seems to put her mind to. Live at Vic’s arrives on the heels of 2 major Grammy wins: in 2024 Nicole won Best Jazz Vocal album for How Love Begins, a historic win as the first independent artist to win in this category (who also wrote and arranged the entire album themselves) and a year later she earned a Grammy for Best Large Jazz Ensemble alongside partner & collaborator Dan Pugach for Bianca Reimagined: Music for Paws and Persistence which was inspired by their mutual passion for rescuing and fostering dogs. Joined by an exceptional ensemble, Live at Vic’s is a powerhouse album in part because she uses her arrangements to bring out the best in the musicians around her including her featured longtime group of Idan Morim (guitar), Dan Pugach (drums), and Samuel Weber (bass) with special guests Keyon Harold (trumpet), Rachel Eckroth (organ), and Tom Scott (saxophone). “It’s jazz. The magic of it is the improv. So the songs are 11 minutes, and everybody’s shredding,” Zuraitis says. “I wanted to make an album for people of songs that I adore. This feels like the pinnacle of my career to get onstage and go: This is what I sound like. Every single thing on this album is arranged by me or written by me. It’s all live, unedited. No auto tune. Everything is here.” This is just how I would want it!!
I had the pleasure of chatting it up with Nicole about this new and first live release. We get into each musician and what the bring to the project. For me, this ‘Live At Vic’s’ record is very much a keyhole view into a setlist that’s created for a wide variety of people to really get into and feel personally about. We talk about how paying the bills working at all sorts of gigs, playing other people’s songs and adding her own touch, made a different in how she presented and wrote her own songs. Nicole and I dissect one of the cover tunes, Steve Nicks’ ‘Rhiannon’ and how this song formed with her and the band’s own take without losing any of the original feelings. Also put under the microscope is my favorite tune on the album ‘All Stars Lead To You‘, a tune I truly feel will open up more people to the abilities Nicole (and band) possess. Her, Modern Songbook style is so appealing to people who don’t stop at a genre, and is such an inviting thing…this new live record is a welcome mat into a new groove people should allowing right in.
