dan pugach big band
Bianca reimagined:
music for paws and persistance
liner notes
Legendary jazz singer Billie Holiday loved her dogs. Charlie Parker reportedly wrote “Marmaduke,” which was inspired by his dog. During his youth, Duke Ellington even worked as a soda jerk at the Poodle Dog Café. So, you see, there’s something of a history between jazz musicians and their mutts. And now we have composer, arranger, drummer Dan Pugach who is both a celebrated jazzer and dog lover.
But he also has a broken (and healing) heart. Dan has fostered and rehabilitated pit bulls from New York City shelters for over a decade. In 2011, he took in a special pit bull Bianca which he loved and cared for. They grew close, and Bianca would come to Dan’s rehearsals and gigs. But sadly, in April 2018, Bianca passed and there’s been a hole in Dan’s heart ever since.
Bianca Reimagined: Music for Paws and Persistence is a stirring musical paean to his late dog. And for those of you wondering how someone could write music inspired by an animal…well, go adopt a dog and find out! Incredibly, Dan has applied his considerable gifts of writing and performing to a worthy of cause of fostering and rehabilitating dogs. Big band jazz many not be the most obvious vehicle to raise awareness for rescuing dogs. But it is one of the most unique and magnificent ways that you’ll come across.
The album begins in a personal place. Before we experience Dan the dog lover, we must appreciate the maestro as an immigrant from Israel and who is now a US citizen of over 15 years. “Masa” means journey in Hebrew. This piece features Dave Adewumi’s trumpet solo over the main section as well as Jeremy Powell’s tenor saxophone solo over a building vamp. As the composition transitions through intricate layers and a complex 7/4 meter, it crescendos into Pugach’s virtuoso drum solo, signaling both a personal and musical pilgrimage.
Dan and his wife Nicole Zuraitis received a call just before the 2020 pandemic about a two-week foster that just had puppies and that was left outside, tied to a fence. Dan and Nicole took in this dog, and they still have her these many years later. “Bella the Bear” is an homage to the resilience and persistence demonstrated by Bella who is currently suffering with cancer. “She also looks and behaves like a bear,” observes Dan. The piece begins with a pensive yet imaginative harmonic line that finds itself as the progression gathers steam.
The title track “Bianca” was completed and premiered at the BMI Jazz Composer’s Workshop showcase concert. “Bianca joined us at Stowe Jazz Festival, the 55 bar, Systems Two, and many more places,” reflects Dan. This thoughtful number also won the BMI Charlie Parker Composition Prize which spawned the very idea of this album. The melody moves through the reeds and brass like an evolving echo. You hear the familiar chords replayed in different contexts, which gives a feeling of growth and renewal.
“The Bridge” is an allusion the “Rainbow Bridge,” the cherished mythical place where dogs go when they pass. Nicole first wrote this song in 2011, which Dan now reimagines with a brilliant arrangement. “This piece is dedicated to the millions of homeless shelter pets that are unfairly killed in shelters across the United States every day due to the lack of space and resources,” says Dan. A moving and poignant song, Nicole’s elegant performance conveys the emotional journey of a beloved pet passing to the other side. To a land of happiness and merriment. And to a place where dogs and owners are eventually reunited. “This song paints vivid images of lush meadows, endless sunshine, and a sense of peace, offering comfort and hope to those mourning the loss of their furry companions,” reflects Dan.
Composed by Nicole and Dan, “Little Fears” captures and coveys the feeling of helplessness combined with the resilience of holding onto hope. Anyone who has experience with fostering animals can surely empathize with the emotional roller coaster of this journey. The unfolding harmonies are both optimistic and ominous, showcasing the back-and-forth, up-and-down tumult that comes with fostering animals.
Dan wrote “Tolerance” during the strict lockdowns of the 2020 pandemic. “It’s a product of how I experienced the world crisis. It also reflects my struggles with mental health during this period,” said Dan. The piece was commissioned by the BMI Manny Albam Commission for Big Band. It’s made of two themes with an active folk melody in 11/8 juxtaposed with a relaxed piano melody featuring a 5/4 ostinato. Along the way, we hear a rich tapestry of solos, brass clusters, and bass figures.
“Schleppin’” is a familiar New York Yiddish word for a carry or haul. It’s an allusion to Dan’s first job when he moved to New York: He worked at a moving company. The piece features a soaring saxophone solo for the whole gamut of reeds: soprano, alto, baritone, and bass saxophones. “I was inspired to write this piece by listening to the works of Joe Henderson for Blue Note Records,” said Dan. “Travel” is written by Nicole, based on a poem by Edna St. Vincey Millay. The same piece was recorded with Christian McBride, Gilad Hekselman, and Dan for her album How Love Begins. Dan’s big band arrangement came together during his and Nicole’s residency at the 55 bar in the West Village, which closed during the pandemic.
The two final pieces “Dreams” and “Discourse This!” are thoughtful numbers to end this tremendous project. Dan wrote the first piece to honor a fighter pilot in the US Navy, who was a friend of two of his fans-turned-friends. “This piece was a full-circle moment for me. I once served in the Israeli Air Force, and here I am writing a piece about a US fighter pilot,” said Dan. And he wrote the last piece for his nine-piece ensemble during his graduate studies at City College of New York. The word “discourse” was a frequent part of the lexicon among students and faculty, and Dan thought it was an over-the-top word. “I wrote the playful melody with these academic conversations in mind. I wanted to emphasize the agonizing back-and-forth of high falutin’ conversations that materialize in higher education,” he concludes.
Bianca Reimagined: Music for Paws and Persistence is both an intimate tribute and an expansive exploration of artistic expression. It weaves together threads of personal loss, love, and resilience into a tapestry of sound that speaks to the heart. While we may never have met Bianca, Pugach’s music ensures her spirit lives on, embodying the enduring connection between humans and their four-legged companions. This album is a testament to friendship, empathy, and the transformative power of music.
Tracks: (Featured solo)
1. Masa 09:10
(Dave Adewumi - tpt, Jeremy Powell - t. sax, Dan Pugach - drums)
2. Bella the Bear 05:58
(Jasim Perales - tbn)
3. Bianca 06:44
(Eitan Gofman - tenor sax, Stuart Mack - tpt)
4. The Bridge 06:37
(Nicole Zuraitis - voice, Jonathan Saraga - trumpet)
5. Little Fears 07:14
(Nicole Zuraitis - voice, Troy Roberts - tenor sax)
6. Tolerance 07:36
(Mike Fahie - tbn, Patrick Cornelius - alto sax
7. Schleppin’ 07:21
(Sam Weber - bass, Nitzan Gavrieli - piano, Alan Ferber - tbn)
8.Travel 05:32
(Nicole Zuraitis - voice,Jeremy Powell - tenor sax, Stuart Mack - tpt)
9.Dreams 06:31
(Nicole Zuraitis - voice, Pete McCann - guitar)
10.Discourse This! 07:24
(Dave Smith - tpt, Andrew Gould - alto sax, Dan Pugach - drums)
11.Bianca (Alt. Take) 07:28
(Eitan Gorman - tenor sax, Stuart Mack - tpt)
Personnel:
Featured Vocalist - Nicole Zuraitis
Reed 1 - Andrew Gould
Reed 2 - Patrick Cornelius
Reed 3 - Eitan Gofman
Reed 4 - Jeremy Powell (Troy Roberts on #4,#5)
Reed 5 - Andrew Hadro
Trumpet 1 - Sam Hoyt
Trumpet 2 - Dave Smith
Trumpet 3 - Dave Adewumi (Jonathan Saraga on #4,#5)
Trumpet 4 - Stuart Mack (Alex "Pope" Norris on #4,#5)
Trombone 1 - Mike Fahie
Trombone 2 - Alan Ferber
Trombone 3 - Jasim Perales
Bass Trombone - Jen Hinkle (Jeff Nelson on #4,#5)
Guitar - Pete McCann
Piano - Nitzan Gavrieli
Bass - Sam Weber
Drums - Dan Pugach
Composed by Dan Pugach except for The Bridge (Nicole Zuraitis), Travel (Nicole Zuraitis), Little Fears (Nicole Zuraitis & Dan Pugach) and Dreams (Van Halen)
Arranged and orchestrated by Dan Pugach
Recorded at The Bunker Studio Brooklyn, NY on February 12&13 2023 and May 28, 2024
Recorded and mixed by Aaron Nevezie
Mastered by Alex DeTurk
Design by Jamie Breiwick, B Side Graphics
Session Photos by Alex Weitz
Bianca Cover drawing by Jen Hinkle
Executive producer: Susan Bloomberg
Associate producers: Dr. George DiGiacinto, Brett Zuraitis
Outside in Music 2024
This album is supported by the Café Royal Cultural Foundation Music Grant
Thank you for listening, Dan