Swinging Holiday Party with Vince Giordano & the Nighthawks at the Town Hall.

It’s Christmas time again and the holiday spirit is in the air! NYC is sparkling with lights and endless Christmas standards fill the air. And of course it is the prime time for the holiday parties! Gotham Holiday Swing at the Town Hall on December 19^th was an epic show. Grammy-winning Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks brought cheer, swing, good vibrations and an all-star cast to their holiday party this year.

 

The Town Hall, located just a few blocks off Times Square, was a perfect place to enjoy the night full of 1920s jazz, dance, jokes and spellbinding performances by world class artists. The Town Hall is almost 100 years old and you can almost smell years of history there; yet the place has a very intimate atmosphere and the sound is amazing. The two part holiday swing show was run by Vince Giordano, who promised a night of fun and swing. And he sure did deliver the promise.

The show kicked off with a hard swinging rendition of “Jingle Bells” accompanied by an elaborate and playful ballroom dancing of Lou Brockman and Heather Gehring. The first tune set the mood for what was to follow and proved that it is possible to play the same Christmas tunes we all heard one time too many in a new and exciting way!

The appearance of the Xylopholks was not be missed! This rag-time band plays 1920s jazz with a humorous twist. Once you see these guys, you will never forget them! Everyone in the band is dressed in a funny animal costume but don’t be fooled by their looks! These guys are serious and wonderful musicians who also happen to have a very distinctive look. And their version of Drei Dreidl was hilarious, wouldn’t expect anything less!

Following a couple of Duke Ellington tunes played by the Nighthawks to the complete delight of the audience, the playful mood was brought back by Buster Poindexter, who set the stage on fire with his version of “Iz Zat You Santy Claus?” And by the time Buster appeared for his second song in the second act, the audience was ready to sing along. It was hard not to fall victim to his devilish charm.

The only non-musical act of the night was brought by the host and creator of This American Life, Ira Glass. Joking about the lack of Christmas jokes, Ira added yet another twist to this holiday extravaganza, trying and daring the audience with his sexually charged jokes during the second act, which also featured a provocative and funny modern dance act by Anna Bass and Monica Bill Barnes set to a James Brown tune.

The list of the musicians that came on stage continues and among the notable ones are Regina Carter, the Queen of contemporary jazz violin, and Pedro Pablo “Pedrtito” Martinez, who completely transformed the familiar Feliz Navidad into a new and exciting tune. The show also featured a stellar cast of singers including Bria Skonberg, a talented trumpeter and vocalist and co-founder of the New York Hot Jazz Festival, Molly Ryan, Kat Edmonson and the Argentinian sensation Sofia Rei.

It was a great party full of swing, jokes, dance and amazing energy. Just the right thing to do before the holidays to get into the spirit of celebration!

Anna Yatskevich is Flowers In A Gun’s glamorous jazz & beyond critic! Catch more reviews from her here and follow her on IG and Twitter @jazzaddikt.