07.14.2021 Virtual Talent Showcase - Artist Profiles

JOE BLEICHER

From New York, Joe Bleicher came to Connecticut via California and Massachusetts. He now lives in West Hartford. Joe is a former host of Folk ‘on Fridays at Cheney Hall and The Living Space of West Hartford.

CALENDULA

Calendula is a singer-songwriter based in northeast Connecticut. Her nostalgia for past homes, daydreamed futures, and distant loved-ones fuels her folk-inspired melodies. She released her first EP, New Horizons, in the fall of 2020, and is set to release a new single this summer.

Follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calendula_music/

Follow her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CalendulaRecords

Follow her on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDsoFsUh-j_69lFXeShL6CQ

Listen online: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/calendula/new-horizons-ep

TOM CARAHER & JOSÉ VÉLEZ OTERO

Tom and José collaborate on writing, recording, and performing across a wide spectrum of music. They have been playing together for 18 years in Connecticut.

Dr. Vélez is originally from Puerto Rico and brings a rich background of Latin rhythms and music from the Island. José is an accomplished guitarist, singer and percussionist.

Tom Caraher is from Chicago and although classically trained brings strong influences from the Chicago rock bands of the 60s and 70s. Tom currently plays with the West Hartford Symphony.

They are presenting three songs this month:

1) “Thinking Back” – written and performed by Tom Caraher

2) “Love is Waiting” – A family collaboration with cousins – Written by Tom Frampton and Joni Frampton Richter, Performance by Tom Caraher & Larry Frampton

3) “Gli Amori” – written by: Cristian Castro – Sung in Italian by José Vélez Otero, accompanied by Tom Caraher.

Music produced by Tom & José can be found on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz8LGvyhsyp0jxbG5MK-z9w and Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/tomcarahermusic/

FOOLISH WISELY

Foolish Wisely lives in the space between waking and dreaming. Intricate songwriting lays ground for luxuriant harmonies to paint over, which bring to life a surreal-yet-familiar world that exists within us all.

The band is made up of RJ Mac Carthaigh and Julia Autumn Ford, both multi instrumentalists and internationally touring artists with their own extensive histories in groups including Belle of the Fall, Field of Birds and The Slambovian Circus of Dreams.

They draw inspiration from the likes of Paul Simon, David Byrne, Van Gogh, Blind Connie Williams, Ai Weiwei, Crosby Stills & Nash, Britney Spears, as well as the world and phenomena surrounding and within them.

NINA ROMANENKO

Nina Romanenko is a Singer, Songwriter and Guitarist who loves working with and performing for people of all ages.  She’s a former Therapeutic Recreation Director with training in Music as Therapy, who enjoys engaging her audiences with songs that are fun, as well as those of meaning, history and social conscious.

Since the Pandemic, Nina has been providing Virtual Therapeutic Music Programs at Healthcare facilities - and has also been working in collaboration virtually - with her friends, Kevin Gallagher, Tom Caraher and others - to produce music videos - most of which are of original songs with important social messages. See more at: www.Ninasings.com.

Nina’s July’s video submission is of a song called: “Where Will The Giants Roam” - written by Bill Katz and Alex Forbes. The video is done in collaboration with Kevin Gallagher, PJ Alderette, Tom Caraher and Jose Velez Otero.

It is about the poaching of Elephants and Rhinos for their tusks. Bill Katz began writing the lyrics after selling art to a condo owner on 5th Ave in NYC - where the owner proudly showed off a set of huge elephant tusks that decorated his mantle.

For further info on these endangered animals - please see savetheelephants.org and rhinos.org

Hope you enjoy!
Nina

NICOLE ZURAITIS

Grammy® nominated Nicole Zuraitis is a New York-based vocalist, pianist, and songwriter who took home the Gold Medal and Ben Tucker Jazz Award in the 2021 American Traditions Competition. The musical chameleon brings her signature warmth and outstanding vocals to various genres and styles, as demonstrated on her newest multi-hyphenate album, All Wandering Hearts (DotTime Records). As a bandleader, a recording artist, and the premiere vocalist of the world-famous Birdland Big Band and Dan Pugach Nonet, Nicole has established herself as a staple on the New York City jazz scene and has made a significant mark on the global modern jazz landscape.

In 2019, Nicole's career blossomed when she and her husband, renowned drummer and bandleader Dan Pugach, were dually nominated for a Grammy® for their arrangement of Dolly Parton's "Jolene." Nicole graces the stages at both the iconic Birdland Jazz Club and Greenwich Village's 55 Bar monthly. Before Covid, she toured extensively nationally and internationally. She was named in the top 40 under 40 for 2020 in Connecticut Magazine, and her weekly live stream during the Covid 19 crisis "Virtual Piano Lounge" was featured in Forbes in October 2020.

Nicole's critically acclaimed 2018 release, Hive Mind (Dot Time Records), earned the title of 'Best Jazz Album' in the 2018 International Music and Entertainment Awards.  She was a finalist in the International Sarah Vaughan Vocal Competition and her original composition "The Coffee Song" won the New York City Coffee Music Project Songwriting Competition. Zuraitis has assembled an all-star female ensemble to record her project Generations of Her - Women Songwriters and Lyricists of the Last 100 Years while working diligently on her sixth album as a leader.

Nicole has collaborated with such luminaries as Cyrille Aimee, Thana Alexa, Dave Stryker, Livingston Taylor, Tom Chapin, Omar Hakim, Melanie Safka, Helen Sung, and Bernard Purdie. She is a proud educator and teaches jazz and songwriting worldwide, with highlights including Berklee College of Music, NYU, SAM in India, The Australian Embassy, and the Lithuanian Consulate. Nicole is currently pursuing her Masters of Business Administration from LSUS and loves to rescue and rehabilitate pit bulls with her husband, Dan. For more information, visit www.nicolezmusic.com.

Nicole has submitted "Dreams"/Van Halen performed by Dan Pugach Big Band + Nicole Zuraitis for this July 2021 Virtual Talent Showcase.

EC-CHAP presents “An Evening with Nicole Zuraitis” A Holiday Theme Performance at The packing House December 18, 2021. Tickets available at: http://thepackinghouse.us/upcoming/2021/12/18-ec-chap-jazz-series-nicole-zuraitis