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Giordano, Vince (March 11, 1952)

 Person

Dates

  • Existence: March 11, 1952

Biography

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Vince Giordano’s passion for music from the 1920s and 1930s, and the people that made it, began at age 5. He has amassed an amazing collection of over 60,000 band arrangements, 1920s and 1930s films, 78 recordings and jazz-age memorabilia. Giordano sought out and studied with important survivors from the period: Paul Whiteman’s hot arranger Bill Challis and drummer Chauncey Morehouse, as well as bassist Joe Tarto. Giordano’s passion, commitment to authenticity, and knowledge led him to create a sensational band of like-minded players, the Nighthawks. Giordano has single-handedly kept alive an amazing genre of American music that continues to spread the joy and pathos of an era that shaped our nation.

A Grammy-winner and multi-instrumentalist, Giordano has played in New York nightclubs, appeared in films such as The Cotton Club, The Aviator, Finding Forrester, Revolutionary Road, and HBO’s Boardwalk Empire; and performed concerts at the Town Hall, Jazz At Lincoln Center and the Newport Jazz Festival. Recording projects include soundtracks for the award-winning Boardwalk Empire with vocalists like Elvis Costello, Patti Smith, St. Vincent, Regina Spektor, Neko Case, Leon Redbone, Liza Minnelli, Catherine Russell, Rufus Wainwright and David Johansen. He and his band have also recorded for Todd Haynes' Carol, Terry Zwigoff’s Ghost World, Tamara Jenkins’ The Savages, Robert DeNiro’s The Good Shepherd, Sam Mendes’ Away We Go, Michael Mann’s Public Enemies, and John Krokidas’ debut feature, Kill Your Darlings; along with HBO’s Grey Gardens and the miniseries Mildred Pierce. The Nighthawks are also seen and heard in the USA Network series Royal Pains and in the PBS series Michael Feinstein’s American Songbook.

Excerpted from Vince Giordano’s website. Accessed 9 March 2017.

Found in 1 Collection or Record:

Vincent Giordano Collection

 Collection
Identifier: MS-0256
Scope and Contents

The Vince Giordano Collection was gifted by Giordano to LaBudde Special Collections in 2014. The collection relates to the noted New York bandleader and film/TV consultant specializing in 1920s and 1930s music. It comprises parts for over 2000 dance band arrangements of the era and consists of 34 boxes, each identified by title range. A complete list of tunes that includes title, composer, lyricist, arranger, publisher, and publishing date is also available.

Dates: 1899 - 1960