No one knew who Ira Ironstrings was. When suspicious recordings under the moniker started surfacing out of Warner Brothers in the early 60's it was a great mystery. Of course now, in the modern age, and eight years after his death, we've learned it was none other than swing pioneer Alvino Rey and his Orchestra trying to avoid lawsuit from Capitol Records whom he was signed with at the time. Oh nobler times. Ira Ironstrings Plays Santa is recorded with some classic 50's dixieland jazz styles and it's probably my only holiday album that incorporates bass clarinet, banjo, and mallets on xylophone simultaneously. Barn burners like 'Jingle Bell Stomp', 'My Tow Front Teeth' and 'Over The River And Thru The Woods' are sure to get grandma and grandpa up and shaking a tail feather. They work nicely as single tracks intermingled within a diverse playlist as the one I'm attempting to create, but I can see how recurring and incessant listens to an album like this may cause someone to beat the holy hell out of some lawn Santas and burn the figgy pudding on purpose.
This nugget receives a B+ for it's initial enjoyability factor and it's capability to remain on the downlow.
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