Vintage jazz is alive and well thanks to the dapper gents Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks, who perform authentic, energetic, Prohibition-era music for crowds in the New York area.

Newtown resident Amber Edwards and Bethel resident Dave Davidson sat down with The Newtown Bee on a snowy afternoon in February to discuss their project, the documentary Vince Giordano - There's a Future in the Past, that they directed and produced.

The duo have been partners of Hudson West Productions for nearly 30 years, with Ms Edwards joining shortly after Mr Davidson founded the organization in 1985. Their not-for-profit production company takes on projects pertaining to preserving art, history, and education.

Ms Edwards calls the theme of their work "cultural retrieval." They look to capture the topics that they feel are crucial to archiving before it is too late.

"We are trying to tell stories about people, organizations, institutions, and practices that if you don't grab the last people who are doing it now, you might not get it," she explained.

One of their most recent projects has been the capturing the story of professional jazz musician Vince Giordano and his band The Nighthawks.

Mr Giordano's music has been featured in the Grammy-winning HBO series Boardwalk Empire, in multiple Woody Allen films, and in director Martin Scorsese's movie The Aviator - just to name a few. He also actively releases music and performs regularly in New York at the Cafe Iguana.

Ms Edwards and Mr Davidson first filmed with Mr Giordano back in 2009 when they were making a nine-episode PBS series called which had them interviewing a variety of musicians. Working with Mr Giordano for that project left a big impression on them and made them realize there was much more of his story that needed to be told.Michael Feinstein's American Songbook,

A few years after, they embarked on the journey to film Mr Giordano's life as a dedicated musician, passionate bandleader, and active music historian, who has acquired an extensive jazz collection of more than 60,000 band arrangements, mostly from the 1920s and 30s.

Mr Davidson said, "We love the music, but we also really love what Vince stands for. He really is a hero in that he, sometimes single-handedly it seems, keeps this music alive."

Ms Edwards has had the unique opportunity to not only film Mr Giordano, but to also have sung with his band in the past.

"Singing with that band is pretty remarkable," said Ms Edwards, beaming as she recalls the magic the band brings to their performances. "I had the great fun of performing with him. I did two shows with him at the 92nd Street Y as part of a Lyrics and Lyricists series. I did a couple other gigs with him, and I am actually on the Boardwalk Empire soundtrack doing one of the songs."

A Dramatic Time

To fully understand the life that Mr Giordano leads, Ms Edwards and Ms Davidson went on the road with him and the band members to start filming in 2012. They visited Mr Giordano's home in Brooklyn to showcase his extensive collection of musical arrangements that are preserved in rows of filing cabinets as far as the eyes can see. The two also endured the elements at Lincoln Center, went to the Newport Jazz Festival, and followed the band as they experienced their regular gig - a restaurant called Sophia's in New York - closing unexpectedly.

"We had no idea that during the period we were following him that it would be such a dramatic time for him - a lot of ups and downs," said Ms Edwards. Mr Davidson agreed, noting that Mr Giordano proved time and time again to be resilient no matter what was thrown his way.

By being with Mr Giordano and the Nighthawks for every step, Ms Edwards and Mr Davidson were able to show audiences what life is like for the hardworking musician, bandleader, and "king of schlep" as he self-proclaims.

"One of the great challenges of being a documentary filmmaker is to be able to be with your subject for a long enough time that you are not invisible, but part of their conversation," said Mr Davidson. "It's when we're rolling and it's when we're not rolling to be able to develop that sense of trust that he feels he can be himself around us."

They filmed his struggles - including a pesky, disappearing mouthpiece - and, of course, his victories - the glory that comes with delivering absolutely knockout performances to crowds that adore him.

Ms Edwards and Mr Davidson were able to accomplish filming such a variety of scenes with two to three cameras in place for performances, and alternating to a single camera, classic documentary style of filmmaking for more personal scenes.

Not only did the two direct and produce but Mr Davidson was director of photography and Ms Edwards edited the film.Vince Giordano - There's a Future in the Past,

"For me it is so satisfying to work with Dave," said Ms Edwards. "He is directing through the camera, his cinematography is so remarkable. So, when I start looking through it all as the editor it is so clear that he knows where the story is and he's following it. It is such a pleasure to work in that telepathic kind of way."

Mr Davidson agreed, "It is reciprocal. It is incredibly rewarding to know that Amber has the great eye to pick out the stuff that I happen to agree is the best of it. But also because so much story is made in editing... The choices that she makes are brilliant, because she has a background in music. When you edit film it is about visual rhythm."

Those skills were key when assembling performance scenes, as the film showcases a variety of songs by Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks.

Looking back, Ms Edwards and Mr Davidson find it hard to choose just one song to call their favorite, since so many stand out in their mind.

"I love 'Shake That Thing,'" said Ms Edwards. "I also like the final number at Newport, which is 'Singing Pretty Songs.'"

Mr Davidson says the opening song in the film, "Dinah," is one of his favorites, although he may be partial to it because that is his wife's name. Ultimately, what makes him enjoy so many songs is seeing the way it energizes Mr Giordano.

"There are many moments in different songs where you can see him transported, certainly in 'Jazzocracy' at the end. It's where you know that he knows all the work he does has paid off," said Mr Davidson. "You just look at his face in those moments, and it's all worth it for him."

It is in those moments of ecstasy performing that make all the struggles, the stress, and the time it takes it all worth it. Audiences everywhere now can watch the film and see those moments as if they were there experiencing them live.

A First For Hudson West Productions

Vince Giordano - There's a Future in the Past is Hudson West Productions' first feature to be screened in theaters, having had the rest of their collection of work go straight to TV. All around it was a new experience for Ms Edwards and Mr Davidson for sales, distribution, and ultimately traveling audience to audience to show it.

"Vince represents a different time in music. For me, and to some extent I think for Amber, too, doing a feature film was moving ahead, but it was also stepping back into the cinematic past," said Mr Davidson.

Ms Edwards added, "It has been incredibly thrilling to see and experience people reacting."

Unlike television where their audience is all over the country, when the duo screens the film in front of crowds in theaters they now get immediate feedback, like hearing everyone applaud after a musical performance on screen.

She continued, "I have heard people after they have seen it say how it captures - without sugarcoating anything - what it is to be a working artist... Vince is a wonderfully unfiltered character. He's a showman, an entertainer, but he was somehow able to be completely real. You see all the emotions happening, he isn't masking anything."

Vince Giordano - There's a Future in the Past has already won Manchester Film Festival's Best Music Score for 2016 and was selected for Carmel International Film Festival, Kansas City Film Fest, and Heartland Film Festival, all for 2016.

Not only that, but the critically acclaimed film has caught the eye of a number of influential names in music and film, including Boardwalk Empire creator Terence Winter. He publicly praised the film saying, "If music is God's gift to man, then Vince Giordano is one of the angels who delivers it. A terrific film about dedication, perseverance, and staying true to one's art. (And that music!)."

The documentary has been so well received that after its original showings were completed there was a demand for extended screenings.

On Sundays, March 5 and 12, there will be two encore presentations of Vince Giordano - There's a Future in the Past at Symphony Space as part of the "Thalia Docs" series. Symphony Space is at 95th Street and Broadway on the Upper West Side in Manhattan. The showings will begin at 6 pm each weekend. To purchase tickets online, visit symphonyspace.org.

Another screening of the film is scheduled in Los Angeles, at Laemmle Theaters on April 14 and will run for at least a week.

To book Vince Giordano - There's a Future in the Pastfor a local screening and have the option of having Ms Edwards and Mr Davidson attend for a Q&A, contact Paul Marchant at First Run Features at Paul@firstrunfeatures.com. To purchase Vince Giordano's CDs or to find out when he is performing live, visit vincegiordano.com.