Vince Giordano

b. Vincent James Giordano, 11 March 1952, New York City, New York, USA. Inspired by hearing records Giordano soon took a serious interest in music and by the age of 15 was playing professionally on string bass and, unusually, brass bass and bass saxophone. He had not only developed a liking for instruments on the lower range, he also took a precocious interest in arranging in the style of 20s and early 30s dance bands. To this end, he sought out and took lessons from Bill Challis. He played in a wide range of settings in New York, in both jazz groups and theatrical pit bands, including the New Paul Whiteman Orchestra, Bob Greene’s band, the New York Jazz Repertory Company, the Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Band, and with Leon Redbone. Giordano maintained his interest in early jazz and dance styles, and his love for that bygone era led him in time to form his own band, the Nighthawks, with which he played original charts of the era as well as those that were specially prepared. Giordano was soon playing at many of New York’s most prestigious venues and he also played at the city’s jazz festivals and appeared in the Netherlands at the Breda Jazz Festival. Giordano played on the soundtracks of The Cotton Club (1984), The Purple Rose Of Cairo (1985), Bloodhounds Of Broadway (1989), Bix (1991), Sweet And Lowdown (1999), Finding Forrester (2000) and The Aviator (2004). Among musicians who have played in Giordano’s band over the years have been trumpeter Peter Ecklund, pianist Dick Wellstood and drummer Arnie Kinsella. In the mid-00s, the Nighthawks often worked with pianist and singer Darryl Sherman. The Nighthawks’ repertoire includes music from the books of early dance and jazz bands such as those led by James Reese Europe and Jelly Roll Morton, and jazz masters including Louis Armstrong, Sidney Bechet and Duke Ellington.