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Vince Giordano – There’s a Future in the Past Review

By David Kempler

Vince Brings Past to Life

We all have an era or genre of music we prefer. Some people focus on areas that have long since faded from the public eye. Before there was Benny Goodman and swing, the 1920's and 30's exploded with bands like King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band and Jelly Roll Morton's Red Hot Peppers. This type of music was referred to as Hot Jazz. Vince Giordano, of Brooklyn New York, is at the forefront of keeping the sound of these bands and bands like them alive.

"Vince Giordano - There's a Future in the Past", directed and produced by Dave Davidson and Amber Edwards examines the life of Mr. Giordano, particularly in regards to his history in music, especially with his band, the Nighthawks. What stands out more than anything else is the love Vince and his bandmates have for Hot Jazz. None of them are getting rich, but they all appear to be enjoying themselves a great deal. Giordano can play a host of different instruments and does so throughout the documentary.

Giordano is in his mid-60's and has been leading the 11-piece Nighthawks for over 40 years. While you may not know of them by name, likely you've heard them perform even if you were unaware of it. Giordano and the Nighthawks have performed in Woody Allen movies and on the HBO series "Boardwalk Empire." Due to a revival of Hot Jazz, Giordano often draws twenty somethings to his shows and some love to dress up in the garb of the era when this music ruled. 

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When we are not watching the Nighthawks play, we are brought into Giordano's world and we learn just how much effort and devotion is necessary to keep it moving. His apartment contains the largest annotated collection of sheet music for the types of music he plays. There are approximately 60,000 sheets of music and he knows how to find all of it, and quickly.

Every scene is either about the mundane tasks between performances or the actual performances, themselves. The mundane tasks are interesting enough but when we get to watch the performances, the joy of the musicians flows directly into us. It's hard not to smile and get caught up in the gigs. Listen to the music.

What did you think?

Movie title Vince Giordano – There’s a Future in the Past
Release year 2016
MPAA Rating NR
Our rating
Summary Doc on Hot Jazz revivalist is a celebration of a music genre that still has life in it.
View all articles by David Kempler
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