Vince Giordano
Jazz | 2016Born 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 the tuba in the 7th grade and 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. He 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 and performed at many New York venues. He and the band have been both onscreen and in the studio for various television and film work. They were nominated for a 2012 Grammy for Best Compilation for Visual Media for their work on the Boardwalk Empire Volume 1—Music from the HBO Original Series CD.