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Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks –

Born in Brooklyn and raised on Long Island, bandleader Vince Giordano began his odyssey into the world of music at the age of five. The discovery of a slew of 78 rpm records in his grandmother’s attic ignited the flame. He began music on the violin but switched to tuba in the 7th grade, then added the string bass and bass saxophone. The ambitious Giordano joined the musicians union at age 14 and started playing with Dixieland banjo bands around Long Island. He became interested in the music of Bix Beiderbecke and studied with Bill Challis, the legendary arranger for the Paul Whiteman and Jean Goldkette Orchestras. Vince joined the 22-piece Navy Show Band after high school. Then toured Europe with Eddy Davis, played in New York with Tony Parenti and Max Kaminsky, and toured with Clyde McCoy.

In 1976 Vince Giordano & the Nighthawks (originally known as the New Orleans Nighthawks) was formed. His dynamic band has been booked for black tie galas at the New York Public Library, the Waldorf Astoria, the Rainbow Room and many private events for the patrons of the NY Pops, NYC Opera, NYC Ballet and countless charitable organizations. Vince has also performed at the Smithsonian, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Metropolitan Museum of Art and Jazz Festivals around the world. Early appearances with Leon Redbone and A Prairie Home Companion and then lending his musical and acting talents to Francis Ford Coppola’s film The Cotton Club, led to working with Dick Hyman’s Orchestra in half a dozen Woody Allen soundtracks, then acting as a bass player, most notably in Sean Penn’s band in Woody’s Sweet And Lowdown. He and the band have been both onscreen and in the studio for Gus Van Sant’s film Finding Forrester; in Martin Scorsese’s The Aviator; and Sam Mendes’ film Revolutionary Road. Other recording projects include soundtracks for Terry Zwigoff’s Ghost World; Tamara Jenkins’ The Savages; Robert DeNiro’s film, The Good Shepherd; Sam Mendes’ Away We Go; Michael Mann’s film Public Enemies, along with HBO’s – Grey Gardens and Todd Haynes’ HBO mini-series Mildred Pierce.

Grammy winner Vince Giordano & the Nighthawks won a 2012 Grammy for best compilation for visual media for their work on BOARDWALK EMPIRE Volume 1 – Music from the HBO Original Series CD. Vince and the Nighthawks have also been on-screen actors in Martin Scorsese’s award-winning HBO series Boardwalk Empire. And on USA network, Royal Pains, season 3.

Stephen Holden of The New York Times is quoted as saying, “An erupting wellspring of euphoria: that would describe the vintage swing emanating from Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks…”

More than simply a performer, Giordano is a big-band historian and collector with more than 60,000 scores in his collection. In 2011, he was featured in the PBS series Michael Feinstein’s American Songbook, in which he reveals his treasures from the Great American Songbook. Turner Classic Movie Film Festival also spotlighted Vince and the Nighthawks at Hollywood’s Music Box, where the band performed a special evening of vintage movie music, in addition to accompany The Cameraman, a Buster Keaton silent film at the Egyptian Theater. This summer you will see them at Music Mountain, and both the Litchfield and the Newport Jazz Festival. Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks are renowned on the New York scene for their commitment to preserving and authentically presenting 1920s and ‘30s jazz and popular music. Currently, Vince Giordano & the Nighthawks can be heard every Monday and Tuesday evenings at Sofia’s Restaurant (downstairs), adjacent to the Edison Hotel at 221 W. 46th Street in the heart of Times Square, NYC.

Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks include: Andy Stein – Violin, Bari; Michael Ponella – Trumpet; Jon-Erik Kellso – Trumpet; Jim Fryer – Trombone; Dan Block – Alto, Clarinet, Soprano; Mark Lopeman – Tenor, Clarinet, Soprano; Dan Levinson – Alto, Clarinet, Soprano; Peter Yarin – Piano; Ken Salvo – Banjo, Guitar; Arnie Kinsella – Percussion; Vince Giordano – String Bass, Bass Sax, Tuba

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