Jazz musician Dan Pugach has two main commitments in his life: making music and fostering pitbull terriers.
“Pitbulls need the most help out here because they’re considered a dangerous breed and they have a bad reputation, which actually comes from bad human behavior, not ‘bad dogs,’â€� Pugach tells ISRAEL21c
This unusual combination of interests led to him winning a Grammy Award on February 2 in the Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album category for his “Bianca Reimagined: Music for Paws and Persistence� album.
Of dogs and men
The album was inspired by a pitbull named Bianca that Pugach adopted in 2011 from a shelter in New York, where he has lived for nearly 20 years. Bianca passed away in 2018.
“That dog was very special to my wife and me; we’ve been focusing on dog rescue since we first met in Brooklyn in 2009,â€� Pugach says.
His spouse is Nicole Zuraitis, a jazz vocalist and musician, who won a Grammy last year in the Best Jazz Vocal Album category for “How Love Begins.�
“We found out that there are a lot of dogs that need foster homes, and we learned that through fostering, you can ease up the system a little bit and really give them a chance,� he explains.
Pugach said they fostered many dogs before Bianca came along.
“We were not trying to adopt a dog at the time because we were busy and out of town a lot. But she was so special that she stayed with us until she passed away.�
Bianca inspired the first song Pugach wrote for the Grammy-winning album. The musical piece, titled “Bianca,� also won the Charlie Parker Composition Prize.
“Bianca went with us everywhere: gigs, tours, festivals, recording sessions, interviews and video shoots. Everybody knew her,� he notes.
A Pugach dog named Bella has a song dedicated to her on the album. “She’s another foster that we never thought we would keep. I call her Bella the Bear because she looks like a giant bear,� Pugach says.
The album heavily explores the theme of dog shelters, abandonment and fostering, including a piece titled “Little Fears,� written from the perspective of a dog trapped in a cage at a shelter. The vocals are performed by Zuraitis, who co-wrote the piece with her husband.
“Little Fearsâ€� was also nominated for a Grammy this year for Best Jazz Performance, but lost out to Samara Joy’s “Twinkle Twinkle Little Me.”
“We weren’t saying it explicitly, but the song could also be interpreted as a little nod to the hostages being trapped in tunnels and cages,â€� Pugach says, referring to the Israelis kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, 2023.
From Ra’anana to New York City
Pugach, 42, began his music career as a teenager playing drums in his hometown of Ra’anana in central Israel.
He fell in love with jazz music at 15 and has been performing primarily in this genre ever since. He continued playing music even in the military, serving in The Israel Air Force Band.
He went on to study at Rimon School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in Ramat HaSharon. In 2006, he traveled to the United States to further pursue music education, studying at Berklee College of Music in Boston and later at The City College of New York.
Pugach honed a talent for composing, including for a nine- and 18-piece ensemble. His Grammy-winning album is composed for an 18-piece ensemble.
Eventually he decided to settle in New York for an opportunity to play music in a city that “breathes jazz.�
“I moved to the US when there was no social media yet. YouTube [had] just launched, there was no Instagram, no iPhones, nothing; the world was very different. Today, I would probably say it doesn’t matter where you are in the world, you can make it anywhere. But at the time, I really wanted the New York experience,â€� explains Pugach.
In 2010, he formed his own jazz band and has been recording, performing and touring with the ensemble ever since.
Aftermath of October 7Â
Before the October 7, 2023 attacks, Pugach came back to Israel twice a year to visit his parents and brothers, and to play gigs. Though he hasn’t been back home since that Black Saturday, he says the Hamas atrocities and subsequent wave of anti-Israel sentiments that engulfed the world made him feel “prouder� to be Israeli.
“Even if I’m living in the States, I’m still an Israeli and I’m still Jewish. And [October 7] made me realize why we need Israel to exist and thrive,â€� he notes.
He rarely engages in debates about Israel, especially on social media platforms, which he says are an assortment of “binary echo chambers.�
“You either are preaching to the choir, or you’re talking to a wall,â€� he says, adding that he hasn’t personally encountered backlash over his Israeli roots.
Pugach says he hopes to finally come back to Israel next fall to play the Red Sea Jazz Festival in Eilat.
Israel’s jazz legacy
He adds that the jazz scene in Israel is one of the richest in the world, especially considering the country’s small size. Pugach says that “level of musicianship� is hard to come by elsewhere.
“On my first day at Berklee College of Music, I met musicians and faculty. When I told them I was from Israel, they said: ‘Okay, you’re gonna do great. All the Israelis here are amazing. You’re probably amazing, too.â€�
Pugach explains that legacy goes back to Jewish musicians who moved to Israel many years ago.
“They started in the States, played with everybody, and brought that music back and kept it alive at the highest level.�
For more information on Dan Pugach, including tour dates, click here.
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