Photos: Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks 'The Future is In Our Past' at Birdland

You don't have to knock on the door and identify yourself to the bouncer looking through the peephole by saying "Joe sent me" the way revelers did during prohibition. That was how one gained entry to the nightclubs of the day serving alcohol and jazz music during the 1920's. But otherwise the party atmosphere of those days are the same as Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks make the authentic sounds of that period come to life again in the Birdland Theater.

The band has Giordano's library of 60,000 pre swing era arrangements, and his 11 musicians, using the instrumentation and paraphernalia of that time musically bring you"back to the future" or more accurately like the title of the Giordano documentary movie, "There's a Future In The Past". The two shows every Monday are always packed, but we got excellent seats and cocktails by saying..."Gianni sent me".

Photo Credit: Stephen Sorokoff