Customer Reviews

Ira Ironstrings Plays Santa Claus: Christmas Music for Those Who Have Heard Everything

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It's great to hear some of the wonderful 50's & 60's music being reissued on CD. Ira (who is really Alvino Rey) made some great records for Warner Brothers. The music was arranged by the great Matty Matlock who played clarinet for Bob Crosby and arranged much of Bing's music. Matty's son told me how Matty would go to Alvino's house all the time with hundreds of pages of music scores under his arm. The sideman on the Ironstring's recordings were most of Matty's "West Coast" dixieland studio players - pianist Stan Wrightsman, drummer Nick Fatool, trumpeteers Johnny Best & Shorty Sherock, trombonists Abe Lincoln & Moe Schneider, etc. The music on this album sounds a lot like the arrangement of the theme song of the old TV show "My Mother The Car." Matty wrote that too. It's all full of humor & creativity. The kind of musical creativity you DON'T hear these days! I own a lot of Matty's music & I'm keeping it alive in the 21st century playing it with my orchestra all over the Midwest.

When this album and several others by "Ira" were made for Warner Brothers Records in 1962 he was under contract to Capitol Records. At the time Jim Conkling was president of WB having moved over in the same capacity he had at Capitol Records. Jim was also "Ira's" brother-in-law. He asked him to record under a psuedonym because of his Capitol affilation. On tuesday February 24th, 2004 Alvino Rey passed away at age 95. That's who "Ira Ironstrings"is/ was.

I have looked for this album for atleast 40 years. My friend owns an original copy which I tranferred to CD. You have never heard christmas music played like this. It is played in dixieland jazz style with heavy use of a bass clarinet, banjo, and muted mallet xylaphone. If this album doesn't get your feet tapping and your head bobbing, you don't have rhythim. No one knows who Ira Ironstrings is, and it is still a mystery today. I also own two other albums by Ira Ironstrings released on Warner Brothers in 1959 and 1960 titled "Ira Ironstrings Plays: With Matches" and "The best damn dance band in the land". I would love to get those albums on CD.

I lost my LP album of this Xmas one plus the other two. Sure hope Matches and Best Damm Dance Band will also be put on CD
Ira plays fabulous music---love it. Barb, N.C.

I've been trying to find this album for YEARS. It was my and my Dad's favorite from the day it was released. He and I laughed for hours while working together in one of his restaurants. He's passed on, I'm closer to sixty than bad breath and THIS is gonna make this a great Christmas. Here's thinkin' of you Pop!

What a super Christmas Album..
Alvino Rey is Ira Ironstrings (for recording label reasons) and this is just one of the all time greats. I owned the original lp back in December 1959 when it first debuted and it was a family tradition every Christmas to play over and over for a couple of hours during parties. Well it ceretainly sets the Holiday spirit with their lively versions of Christmas standards.
No vocals.
10 songs.
30 minutes.

Christmas music that sounds different,to say the least.Mix Dixieland,Village Stompers,Spike Jones and a dash of Lionel Hampton and the result is ....expect the unexpected.It is not background music,pull a chair and just listen to this cd.You will not regret it.

If you are a dance instructor, this is a "must have" for your holiday chorus line/tap groups! Great holiday Dixieland Jazz for an upbeat performance!

great cd. this is the one i play to get in the christmas mood when i am feeling scroogish. my vinyl copy was kaput. reminisent of the old spike jones stuff.

I obtained an original copy of this album around Christmas 1959. I was working for a furniture store when the new "HiFi" players came in and this album was brought in as a demo by a salesman. I loved the sound and after Christmas my boss gave me the LP. Sometime later I made the mistake of loaning it and it was never returned... I've been looking for a copy ever since. Now the search is over!