After being cooped up and kept away from the stage during the pandemic, the Dan Pugach Nonet makes a joyful return to City of Asylum to reconnect and reinstate that sense of community we have all been missing. The nonet is led by GRAMMY® nominated drummer and composer Dan Pugach, ever-present and never overbearing, producing steady and inventive rhythms that keep his troupe on track while letting their individual skill sets shine. In this program they will perform a mix of lively original compositions and covers from their various projects. A few copies of their limited edition EP on vinyl of Dan Pugach Nonet Live at Pinch Recording as well as their CD album Plus One are available for purchase after the performance.

The Dan Pugach Nonet is a New York City–based nine-piece jazz ensemble who regularly performs original compositions for six horns (three brass, three winds) and a trio rhythm section. The nonet received two ASCAP Jazz Composer Awards for Dan’s original compositions in 2011 and 2013, and was nominated for Best Arrangement at the 2018 GRAMMY® Awards. Dan is the 2019 winner of the BMI Charlie Parker Composition Prize/Manny Albam Commission as part of the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop, and he is the 2021 grantee of the Café Royal Cultural Foundation Music for his second album. The ensemble has been working since 2010 and has toured in multiple communities in the U.S as well as in Europe and Israel with a tour history of performances and residencies at jazz clubs, art galleries, jazz festivals, museums, and performing art centers.

A Lively Night of Jazz with Dan Pugach Nonet