Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Dan Pugach Big Band: Bianca

13

Dan Pugach Big Band: Bianca

By

Sign in to view read count
Dan Pugach Big Band: Bianca
Dan Pugach is an Israeli-born, New York-based drummer who doubles (quite well) as composer and arranger on Bianca, his second recording for Outside In Music. Pugach anchors a splendid big band comprised of some of the New York area's finest musicians on an album whose subtitle is "Music for Paws and Persistence."

The "paws" were those of the Pugach family's rescue pit-bull, Bianca, who passed away in 2019 and left a gaping hole in their lives, as he was, Pugach writes, "a gentle soul" who was "a big part of our musical journey," hanging with the band at the Stowe (VT) Jazz Festival and its regular gigs at New York's greatly missed 55 Bar, and taking part in many music videos. "Bianca," which premiered at a BMI Jazz Composers showcase concert, earned the BMI Charlie Parker Composition Prize—and served as the inspiration for this album.

Pugach writes with melody in mind, and each of his half-dozen compositions carries the listener gently along on an impressive pathway of pleasant sound. The iridescent opener, "Tolerance," written during the height of the Covid pandemic, offers hints of Pugach's Israeli heritage as it underlines earnest solos by trombonist Mike Fahie and alto saxophonist Patrick Cornelius. The warm-hearted "Bianca" is next, followed by the lryical "Bella the Bear," written as an homage to the Pugach's most recent rescue dog, a "temporary" redemption that had lasted four years when the album was recorded. Solos on "Bianca" are by tenor Eitan Gofman and trumpeter Stuart Mack, on "Bella" by trombonist Jasim Perales.

Pugach composed "Masa" ("Journey" in Hebrew) to commemorate his coming to the U.S. and becoming an American citizen, "Schleppin'" as a reminder of his first job in the Big Apple, as a "schlepper" (carrier) for a moving company. Pugach, trumpeter Dave Adewumi and tenor Jeremy Powell solo on the chorale-like "Masa," bassist Sam Weber, pianist Nitzan Gavrieli and trombonist Alan Ferber on the amiable "Schleppin.'" Nicole Zuraitis wrote "Travel," on which she sings and scats, as she does on Van Halen's rambling "Dreams" (Pete McCann, guitar). Pugach returns as composer for the animated finale, "Discourse This!," written during his time as a graduate student at City College of New York. Solos are by Pugach, alto Andrew Gould and trumpeter Dave Smith.

Aside from the vocals—which are surely well-intended but a step or two short of enticing—this is an exemplary big-band session marked by strong ensemble work, admirable solos and engaging compositions and arrangements by the leader, Dan Pugach. Four stars for that.

Track Listing

Tolerance; Bianca; Bella the Bear; Masa; Schleppin’; Travel; Dreams; Discourse This!

Personnel

Sam Hoyt
trumpet
Stuart Mack
trumpet
Dave Adewumi
trumpet
Andrew Gould
saxophone
Patrick Cornelius
saxophone, alto
Jeremy Powell
saxophone
Eitan Gofman
saxophone
Andrew Hadro
woodwinds
Mike Fahie
trombone
Alan Ferber
trombone
Jasim Perales
trombone
Jen Hinkle
trombone
Pete McCann
guitar

Album information

Title: Bianca | Year Released: 2024 | Record Label: Outside in Music


Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Slow Water
Stephan Crump
Contrafactus
Spike Wilner Trio
Psychedelic Rio
Vinicius Cantuaria

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.