Nicole Zuraitis

Dan Pugach: Acclaimed Musician

Dan Pugach is a GRAMMY® Award-winning drummer, composer, and bandleader known for his dynamic ensemble writing. His 2024 album, Bianca Reimagined: Music for Paws and Persistence, featuring Nicole Zuraitis, won the 2025 GRAMMY® for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album. He also played drums on How Love Begins, winner of the 2024 GRAMMY® for Best Jazz Vocal Album. Originally from Israel, Pugach is a three-time ASCAP Foundation Jazz Composer Award winner and recipient of the BMI Charlie Parker Composition Prize.

His nine-piece ensemble performs original music at venues including Birdland, The Blue Note, and Smalls Jazz Club, and has appeared at international festivals and the Chamber Music America National Conference. Pugach studied at Berklee College of Music and the City College of New York. His work has been described by All About Jazz as 'a marvel of musicality,' while Antonio Sanchez praised the nonet's sound as 'selfless' in both playing and writing.

Box Office Information

The Box Office at Jimmy's Jazz and Blues Club is open daily from 10 AM to 5 PM, offering both in-person and phone ticket sales. You can purchase tickets by calling 888-603-5299 (ext. 1) or by visiting us at 135 Congress Street in Portsmouth, NH.

For online purchases, please visit jimmysoncongress.com. If you buy tickets from any source other than Ticketmaster, please note that you are not purchasing directly from Jimmy's Jazz and Blues Club.