Grammy Nominated Nicole Zuraitis Quintet Performs in Hampton Bays December 22

Two-time Grammy nominee Nicole Zuraitis likes Carole King, Stevie Wonder and Nina Simone. And around this time of the year the film Elf, because “I like to laugh.” She also likes her four collaborators, including Danny Jonokuchi.

“He is an incredible trumpet player and I do his arrangements with the Birdland Big Band once a month,” she said. “He and I grew up in the New York City trenches.”

The quintet is rounded out by Dan Pugach on drums, Brandi Disterheft on bass and Hyuna Park on piano.

Zuraitis is a regular at the iconic Birdland and performs around the world. Carnegie Hall? “That’s on the bucket list,” she cracks.

The group will be doing holiday standards at Canoe Place in Hampton Bays before Christmas on Friday, December 22.

She says they’re holiday songs with a jazz twist. Something she adds makes sense but is also ironic.

“Jazz is an age-old American tradition. There was a time when it was the pop music of the day. What I love is half of them are written by Jews,” she says of the Christmas tunes with a wry laugh.

The Brooklyn-based singer likes coming out east.

“I’m looking forward to coming to the Hamptons to see friends. The last time I was out there was for the Hamptons Jazz Festival. You can feel the energy in a good audience. They respond and they’re good clappers. And we feed off an audience’s energy. Jazz is improvisational so we like to have participation.”

If you want to participate, admission for the event is $45.

Canoe Place Inn & Cottages is located at 239 E Montauk Highway in Hampton Bays. Visit canoeplace.com for more info.