Enlighten: Uplift & Inspire

My guest to day is Dan Pugach. Dan is a talented drummer, composer and a recent Grammy-nominated arranger. Dan and his wife Nicole Zuraitis, (who was my guest in December 2018) have been nominated for a Grammy for Best Arrangement with Instruments and Vocals, for their co-arrangement of Dolly Parton’s song Jolene. Dan performs with various artists throughout the NY metropolitan area, but his passion for big band music has been channeled into writing and arranging for his own nonet, a 9 piece ensemble. I just heard Dan and his nonet perform at the 55 Bar in NYC last week and I highly recommend that you hear them for yourself! As an Israeli, Dan had a lot of musical opportunities, before, during, and after his mandatory 3 year service in the army, but he had his heart set on moving to New York City. He was grateful for the quick completion of his music degree at Berklee College in Boston, which cushioned his landing in NYC. While Dan was at City College (NYC) for his Masters degree, he was reminded of his roo