Vince Giordano
Encyclopedia
Vince Giordano is a musician, arranger, and leader of the New York-based Nighthawks Orchestra
. Giordano specializes in the jazz styles of the 1920s and early 1930s. Giordano and the Nighthawks have contributed to a number of films and he is especially noted for orchestrations featured in the movies of Woody Allen
. Giordano plays many instruments himself. They include the bass saxophone
, which anchors the Nighthawks' rhythm section on many hot jazz arrangements. Giordano, who lives in Brooklyn
, has been a frequent performer on the radio program A Prairie Home Companion
with Garrison Keillor
. Although their focus on vintage jazz styles is similar, as is their use of the bass saxophone, Giordano's Nighthawks should not be confused with the Memphis Nighthawks
, an influential Chicago
-area band led by virtuoso reed player Ron Dewar
.
Nighthawks Orchestra
Nighthawks Orchestra is a New York-based musical group, led by music historian Vince Giordano, that concentrates on recreations of the hot jazz and dance music styles of the period between 1919 and the mid-1930s....
. Giordano specializes in the jazz styles of the 1920s and early 1930s. Giordano and the Nighthawks have contributed to a number of films and he is especially noted for orchestrations featured in the movies of Woody Allen
Woody Allen
Woody Allen is an American screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, jazz musician, author, and playwright. Allen's films draw heavily on literature, sexuality, philosophy, psychology, Jewish identity, and the history of cinema...
. Giordano plays many instruments himself. They include the bass saxophone
Bass saxophone
The bass saxophone is the second largest member of the saxophone family. Its design is similar to that of the baritone saxophone, with a loop of tubing near the mouthpiece. It was the first type of saxophone presented to the public, when Adolphe Sax exhibited a bass saxophone in C at an exhibition...
, which anchors the Nighthawks' rhythm section on many hot jazz arrangements. Giordano, who lives in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, has been a frequent performer on the radio program A Prairie Home Companion
A Prairie Home Companion
A Prairie Home Companion is a live radio variety show created and hosted by Garrison Keillor. The show runs on Saturdays from 5 to 7 p.m. Central Time, and usually originates from the Fitzgerald Theater in Saint Paul, Minnesota, although it is frequently taken on the road...
with Garrison Keillor
Garrison Keillor
Gary Edward "Garrison" Keillor is an American author, storyteller, humorist, and radio personality. He is known as host of the Minnesota Public Radio show A Prairie Home Companion Gary Edward "Garrison" Keillor (born August 7, 1942) is an American author, storyteller, humorist, and radio...
. Although their focus on vintage jazz styles is similar, as is their use of the bass saxophone, Giordano's Nighthawks should not be confused with the Memphis Nighthawks
Memphis Nighthawks
Memphis Nighthawks were a traditional jazz band based in Champaign, Illinois during the 1970s.-History:Founded and led by Ron Dewar, from the School of Music at the University of Illinois, the Nighthawks performed compositions from the early days of jazz....
, an influential Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
-area band led by virtuoso reed player Ron Dewar
Ron Dewar
Ron Dewar is a jazz tenor saxophone player in the Chicago area. He has toured and recorded with many well-known musicians, including Elvis Presley, Clark Terry, Sarah Vaughan, and Louis Bellson. In the 1970s, Dewar was the leader of the traditional jazz band The Memphis Nighthawks...
.