Gabriel Weber
Staff Writer
Two-time Grammy-winning and four-time Grammy-nominated artist Nicole Zuraitis first performed at Chautauqua back in 2014 as part of the opening act for Tom Chapin and Livingston Taylor. Now she’s back — this time as the star of the show.
“I remember that being one of the highlights of my entire career, playing in that stunning Amphitheater,” Zuraitis said. “To return back as a headliner is quite literally blowing my mind.”
At 8:15 p.m. tonight in the Amp, Zuraitis will run the gamut of the Great American Songbook, pop, country and jazz. Since first singing with her folk group Jammin’ Divas 11 years ago in the Amp, Zuraitis has established herself as a distinct force in the jazz community and the musical world at large.
Zuraitis wasn’t initially accepted on the jazz scene since many felt like she wasn’t a “cookie-cutter” jazz artist. However, she finds that this cemented her own unique voice in two specific ways.
“One, by being incredibly stubborn. Number two, realizing that being an imitator is a short-lived career, but being an innovator means you’re smoothing a path for not only yourself, but everyone else,” Zuraitis said. “I don’t believe I could sing the standards better than Ella Fitzgerald; I learned from her, but I’d rather write my own music so that she’s honored without me just trying to sound exactly like those traditions, while also trying to push everything forward.”
In creating her own lane, Zuraitis holds the balance by finding inspiration in the Great American Songbook.
“All the elements of jazz, pop, folk and blues make American music so amazing — and a real dedication to the art of storytelling — which kind of got lost a little bit in jazz. People tend to say, ‘Oh, jazz, it makes me sleepy,’ or ‘I don’t like it. It’s boring.’ I believe that, especially with modern songbooks, it’s a way to get people back into realizing why jazz was the pop music back in the day,” she said.
Zuraitis was singing as soon as she could speak, relying on music as a universal language.
“As I travel around the world to places where English isn’t the first language, no matter what I’m saying, the music still penetrates to them; it’s really important to see,” Zuraitis said. “Humor or sadness is clear, even if the words are not.”
Jazz first got its hooks in Zuraitis when she heard Ella Fitzgerald.
“I love theater, and (jazz) felt like theater, but without the costume,” Zuraitis said. “There’s that arc of storytelling within one single song, and a lot of those Great American Songbook standards came from musicals, so it kind of bridged the gap for me. Then there’s also the element of improvisation. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was also a songwriter; I was like, ‘Oh, so I can just make up my own melody? OK, that’s exciting.’ ”
Growing up, she didn’t see herself as a professional singer for many years, despite her apparent interest, and remembers scanning DownBeat magazine’s polls. It made it all the more sweet when Zuraitis was recognized by DownBeat for her songwriting and dynamic vocals.
“I didn’t come up through the ranks of the jazz educational system — I was an opera singer. I started singing jazz later in the game, and I didn’t have the language to move and hang with the true legends of jazz,” she said. “Still, to this day, I’m just honored to even be part of the jazz community; it’s such a deep cultural institution. The roots of it are so, so deep, and it’s Black American music, so to even say I’m a jazz singer is an honor in itself.”
There are many challenges in navigating the music industry, and Zuraitis has learned a lot from being a part of the music community.
“It’s a very lonely business. We have to constantly be amping ourselves up, trying to sell ourselves, trying to sell our music, our tickets — it can be very lonely. I’ve learned that obviously having support, but mostly looking ahead and setting goals makes you feel like you’re not nebulous, floating in space in a very difficult industry,” Zuraitis said. “Also, not to be precious with what you put out there — just make the thing. It’s not going to be perfect, so you just need to finish it. The Live (at Vic’s Las Vegas) album, there’s tons of imperfections, and that’s kind of where the beauty lies.”
While Zuraitis has established herself as a powerhouse, she feels as though she is still discovering her audience. Her newest album, Live at Vic’s Las Vegas, just came out and features original songs along with arrangements of Stevie Nicks, Dolly Parton, Jimmy Webb, Thelonious Monk, Nina Simone and many more.
Referencing Nina Simone’s saying, “an artist’s duty is to reflect the times in which we live,” Zuraitis feels art is best served with a side of activism. Many albums are influenced by social change; How Love Begins was inspired by environmental photography, and some songs were composed balancing hard topics and without coming out
too melancholy.
“I feel like the performance itself offers a moment of catharsis and release, as opposed to reminding us how shitty everything is,” Zuraitis said.
Zuraitis hopes Chautauquans come open-minded and leave having an expanded understanding of what jazz can be.
“Jazz can be fun, entertaining, moving and exciting,” Zuraitis said. “It is exciting to hear a songwriter read their diary to you.”
