Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks
Birdland315 West 44th Street, New York 10036
Vince Giordano leads the Nighthawks in his Birdland Theater residency: an 11-piece band devoted to recreating jazz sounds of the 1920s and beyond. This early-evening set brings the ensemble’s period-minded approach to Birdland, with a palette that includes violins, tubas, banjos, and collector’s-item drum sets.
Giordano is a GRAMMY Award-winning, New York-born multi-instrumentalist whose Nighthawks have worked in clubs and concert halls around the world. Beyond the bandstand, their detailed period sound has supplied soundtracks for The Cotton Club, The Aviator, Finding Forrester, Revolutionary Road, Café Society, Boardwalk Empire, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon. BroadwayWorld describes the group’s music as “the jubilant 1920s jazz sound,” a useful shorthand for an ensemble built to make the colors and arrangements of that era audible in the present.
Birdland offers a refined jazz experience in a room where the audience sits at tables close to the stage, allowing every note to reach you clearly. The venue features a full menu with dishes like New Orleans-style gumbo alongside a well-stocked bar, making it easy to enjoy a meal or drinks while listening. Each show is ticketed per set, encouraging focused listening as the music unfolds in roughly 45-minute segments. The club’s walls echo decades of jazz history, having hosted legends and continuing to attract top contemporary artists. Located in Manhattan’s Theater District, the space balances a serious music environment with the energy of a night out, where attentive audiences savor the performances without distraction. Booking ahead is essential, as the club fills quickly for its celebrated lineup.