Nicole Zuraitis & Friends

LINER NOTES BY PAULA EDELSTEIN

This magnificent collection represents a critical turning point in the career of Nicole Zuraitis. The Grammy award-winning vocalist/songwriter/producer had accomplished worldwide critical acclaim in the years prior to forming her working band heard here Live at Vic’s in Las Vegas, Nevada on June 8-10, 2025. Live at Vic’s arrives on the heels of two major Grammy wins: in 2024 Zuraitis 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 earned a Grammy for Best Large Jazz Ensemble alongside partner and collaborator Dan Pugach for Bianca Reimagined: Music for Paws and Persistence which was inspired by their mutual passion for rescuing and fostering dogs. This subsequent triumphant recording makes its own claim on Zuraitis’ lasting impact in the world of jazz. 

Live at Vic’s Las Vegas is Nicole Zuraitis’ way of seizing and capturing a new audience. As her career continues on the upswing,  her adoring fans and the music industry continue to pay attention to her contemporary musical concepts collected here in a brilliant, swinging interplay of blues, jazz, ballads and multi-dimensional vocals. Zuraitis found Vic’s through producers and owners of the venue Paul and Sue Lowden, and depended their bond through Sue and Nicole’s shared Lithuanian heritage. When a fan emailed Nicole suggesting she make a live recording, she knew just where to do it and Live at Vic’s was born. 

Zuraitis effortlessly shows her mastery of multiple roles as vocalist, pianist, improviser, songwriter, storyteller and arranger. She is accompanied by such notable musicians as Keyon Harrold, trumpet; Tom Scott, saxophone; Rachel Eckroth, organ (piano on “Round Midnight”); Idan Morim, guitar; Dan Pugach, drums; Sam Weber, bass; and Carmen Grillo (guitarist on “Georgia”) and Zuraitis on piano and vocals. 

The la reserve records double-disc live recording features 17 compositions with added touches of sophistication, produced and blended in the tradition and quality of live recordings performed by master musicians in their own right. These inspired and extraordinary instrumentalists connect to their audience via superb soloing and dynamic interplay polished with astonishing realism and exquisite craftsmanship that adeptly captures the flowing lines and detailed hues of Nicole’s golden vocals Whether they’re deep and gritty as heard in “Got My Mojo Working” or cool and tranquil as heard in “Pure Imagination” or in the heartbreaking interpretation of the Dolly Parton anthem “Jolene” ; these brilliant musicians mesmerize you from the introduction to the closing opus of this amazing recording.

Nicole’s performances of her original compositions reveals her mastery as a versatile vocalist/songwriter/arranger in a live setting without the luxury of “auto tune” and modern technical “fixes.” Zuraitis recently coined her own genre -“modern songbook”. “All Stars Lead to You” includes Nicole’s signature elements of a burning swinging approach as the dramatic rhythm section sets up for the remarkable soloing of Tom Scott’s saxophonics, followed by Keyon Harrold and Rachel Eckroth. By contrast “Middle C” is a folksy heavy swing ballad that reminds you, dear listener, of a Tin Pan Alley hit. As Nicole thanks the audience she introduces her classical side in her remarkable re-interpretation of Debussy’s “Reverie” while “The Coffee Song” gets a melodic reading and is invaluable as a revelation of Nicole’s adeptness to write quirky song lyrics. The inclusion of “Right In Front of Me” rounds out the beautiful essence of Nicole’s vocal training in a beautiful duet setting with guitarist Idan Morim.

So listen up dear people:  Everyone who hears Live at Vic’s Las Vegas will enjoy these impeccable performances that are so brilliantly arranged and expressed with the charm of the original songwriter’s intent alongside ideas that are both traditional and contemporary. The elements of the recording are superbly executed and become unforgettable thanks to the sinuous musical lines   combined with the inspired vocals of Nicole Zuraitis.