What better way to remember and celebrate the jazz historian and archivist Frank Driggs, who died last month at 81, than with the hot music of Vince Giordano and his Nighthawks?
A lively “memorial service” in honor of Mr. Driggs will take place on October 18, 2011, at Sofia’s Ristorante, downstairs in the Edison Hotel (211 West 46th Street) from 8-11 PM. Doors open at 7 PM.
This setting and the nature of the celebration are more than appropriate, because Vince nd the Nighthawks play the music that Mr. Driggs both loved dearly and documented. In fact, I first met Mr. Driggs and his companion, the writer Joan Peyser (she died in April 2011) at Sofia’s and saw the two of them there, enjoying the music, many times.
I think that every musician in the Nighthawks could point to a beloved recording first issued on a compilation (record or CD) supervised by Frank Driggs or one which he annotated. We all owe him a great deal, and I expect to be at Sofia’s to join in the celebration of a life devoted to the music we love.
If you know only a little about Frank Driggs, here is his obituary in The New York Times:
And here is a link to eleven photographs Mr. Driggs had acquired — out of the one hundred thousand photographs and pieces of jazz arcana:
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2011/09/25/arts/music/DRIGGS.html
Make your reservations early! Details below: