Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks at Birdland

Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks
Birdland
New York, NY
March 18, 2025

The sign on the door reads "Birdland Jazz Club," but when Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks take the Intimate downstairs stage on 44th Street, append the words "and College of Fine Music" to that moniker. For when Giordano hits that lectern, discerning students of great jazz lean in and listen up. And why not? Surrounded by some of the best sidemen in the tri-state area—maybe the world—Giordano sure-footedly takes his audience thru the early days of that most American art form. King Oliver, Bix Beiderbecke, Louis Armstrong—they all earn their spots on Professor Giordano's syllabus.

And what a band he's got down there! Reed chairs held down by big band stalwarts Will Anderson, Mark Lopeman and Dan Levinson make up a sax section that's hard to beat. Giving as good as they get, the horns—trombonist Sam Chess and trumpeters Joe Boga and Jon-Erik Kelso—hit all the right notes, whether muted or full on raging. Andy Stein—he of the much-lamented Garrison Keillor radio show—plays a fascinating fiddle with a megaphone attached. Add Peter Yarin on keyboards, Arnt Arntzen on guitar and banjo and Paul Wells on all kinds of percussion and you've got an extraordinary orchestra filling every nook and cranny of the Birdland Theatre stage.

And then there's Giordano, holding down the bass clef on tuba, bass sax and string bass—that last one the aluminum kind, new to the market back in 1928. While they got into some swinging towards the end of the evening, the Nighthawk's metronome is decidedly counted four square, with the oompah of tuba and bass harkening back to ragtime and marching band time. Professor G threw in some vocals, played a Django Reinhardt tune on tenor guitar and proffered up a smooth, happy patter that entertained while it instructed. With all of that going for it, it's no surprise that this unit regularly sells out their Monday and Tuesday night residencies at the iconic jazz club.

Pinning down the highlights of this musical melange is hard to do. Early on, we're treated to Fletcher Henderson's "Variety Stomp," with alto, tenor and soprano sax solos, a trombone break and some fancy finger work from pianist Yarin on the Birdland upright (not much room for more on this crowded bandstand). From there, it's a mellow turn to the Duke's "Sophisticated Ladies," a Don Redmond arrangement sold on a sublime clarinet solo from Anderson, muted by what appeared to be a '20s cheerleader's megaphone.

Bix got a Nighthawk tribute with "They'll Come a Time, Just Wait and See," with Kelso limning the great Beiderbecke's cornet. "Snag It Blues' by King Oliver kept the pace up, with Vince moving to tuba, Anderson to Clarinet and Boga filling in for the King on trumpet. Connoisseur that he is, Giordano found a hopping tune from a Laurel and Hardy sound track. And the leisure time of the musician's fraternity got a playful parsing in "Chant of Weed," featuring Anderson's sweet clarinet on another Don Redmond arrangement.

Everybody got a chance to shine on a rollicking barrelhouse Robert Shaw composition "11:30 Saturday Night," with solos careening around the bandstand from Anderson's clarinet, Kelso's trumpet, Yarin's piano and Levinson's alto (or was it Lopeman's—the thing went too fast to keep up with). Taking a break, the Kelso Septet performed "Dr Jazz" with sidemen Stein, Yarin on celeste, Vince on bass sax and Wells taking a well-earned few stanzas on the skins.

Following the aforementioned Django tune featuring Giordano, Stein and Artzen, Kelso shone as Satchmo's stand in on "West End Blues," augmented by a languid bone solo from Chess, three muted clarinets and Vince's plaintive vocal. "It's s The Gir"l featured a bevy of baritones, after which the Nighthawks honored an audience request and swung the room with the Goodman band's signature "Swing, Swing, Swing," Anderson standing in for the famous bandleader.

Then it was over—ninety minutes or so of musical education. No tests, no grades, just great music from a gifted group of players, led by the incomparable Professor Giordano. Sign me up for second semester!

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