Tweet New CD of Irving Aaronson & His Commanders

If you enjoy hot dance music of the late 1920’s, then you ought to take a listen to the “Irving Aaronson and His Commanders” release #BSW-1155 on the Rivermont Records label.

This is the first of several planned CD’s, comprising the entire recorded output of the Aaronson band, which is widely regarded as one of the best jazz bands of the Twenties. The music is just wonderful, and includes classics such as “I’m Just Wild About Animal Crackers,” “Crazy Words, Crazy Tune,” and “Let’s Misbehave.” There are also lesser-known gems like “What! No Spinach” and “Poor Papa,” as well as true rarities like an unreleased Edison 78 and a one-of-a-kind test pressing of a RCA Victor master that was subsequently destroyed.

The recordings are presented in chronological order, beginning in 1926. The transfers are immaculate and sound great, especially the later ones, which were originally electrically recorded. The extensive liner notes and discography by Randy Skretvedt is tremendous, and reminded me of the times when good informative liner notes like these appeared on vinyl LP’s. Randy apparently had the assistance of Aaronson’s daughter, as well as access to family scrapbooks and previously unpublished photos and clippings, lots of which are included in the liner notes.

This is the first of a proposed series, and I’ll be very interested to hear the remaining issues. You can order the CD directly from Rivermont at www.rivermontrecords.com or from distributor Worlds Records at www.worldrecords.com; get it now, before it goes out of print! SETH

I'll second your endorsement, Seth. A really great CD of a great band. Randy is continuing his research on the Aaronson band and trying to locate as much information about the Metrotone shorts he made. Would give much to see or at least hear them. Apparently nothing has surfaced on any of these yet. Rivermont producer Bryan Wright continues to do a smashing job on his CD releases. An amazing bundle of talent, energy and expertise for someone who's a mere 29. Humbled and proud that he brought me on board to design for most of his covers, including the Aaronson. Randy and I will be collaborating on a future Rivermont release devoted to Cincinnati bandleader Henry Thies.

Thank you both for your kind comments. Many people contributed their talents to this project (thanks again, Joe!), but Bryan Wright deserves the credit for making this a reality. He is an amazing and accomplished young man. One little correction for sethb--I haven't yet accessed any photos or scrapbooks from the Aaronson family. I have corresponded and spoken on the phone with Irving's daughter, and she is very supportive of the project and elated with the first volume. She wrote me and said that it had brought her father back to life for the grandchildren he never got to meet. We've agreed to get together for an interview in a couple of weeks, so I'm really looking forward to that, and I hope there will be some photos or other memorabilia which we can use for the subsequent volumes. I worked for several months on those notes, as there was very little about Irving in the reference books. They would each have about five tidbits of information (some of them incorrect, as it turned out) which everyone copied from each other. Thank goodness for Ancestry.com, Newspaperarchives.org, the "Old Fulton NY Post Cards" site, the Los Angeles Times morgue, and the help of several collectors. The photos are mostly from original sheet music, which is often the only source for pictures of bands from this era. Good as our booklet is, the main item of interest is the music, which is spectacular; the arrangements are very lively and inventive, the solos and choral work are imaginative, and the songs are often funny as all get out. And the transfers, from excellent-condition 78s, are superb.

Now, to bring this back to Nitrateville, Irving and company made two shorts for MGM. The first was completed and tradeshown on December 2, 1928, but not released until June 1, 1929, and featured the songs ""Oh You Sweet Old Whatcha May Call It", "Low Down" and Wob-a-ly Walk". The second was released on November 30, 1929, the songs being "Nobody's Sweetheart," "She Was Just a Sailor's Sweetheart" and "I'll Get By." We have the disc for the second short, but none for the first. The picture elements don't seem to survive for either short. This is a pity, as "Wob-a-ly Walk" was written expressly for the band's eccentric dancer, Clifford "Red" Stanley (who was the husband of L&H supporting actress Anita Garvin). It would be wonderful to have a visual record of his dancing. Aaronson never commercially recorded that tune, either, as Victor label-mate Fred Waring beat him to it.

Any of you Nitratevillians--and I mean that in the nicest sense--who have any suggestions for other avenues of research into 1920s dance bands, feel free to e-mail me at forwardintothepast@yahoo.com.

All the best--
Randy Skretvedt

Randy -- since you seem to have turned over almost every existing "rock" in your search for Aaronson information, it seems almost superfluous to ask if you've checked with The Vitaphone Project at http://www.picking.com/vitaphone.html" target="_blank about the missing picture elements for the two MGM musical shorts, or the missing Vitaphone disc. But if anyone can supply info about the whereabouts of these items, I imagine that those folks would be it.

And thanks for the correction about the family scrapbooks. The pamphlet that was included with the CD was so full of clippings and photos that I just assumed you had accessed some scrapbooks! Congrats on a nice job, well done. SETH

Irving and company made two shorts for MGM. The first was completed and tradeshown on December 2, 1928, but not released until June 1, 1929, and featured the songs ""Oh You Sweet Old Whatcha May Call It", "Low Down" and "Wob-a-ly Walk".
"Wob-a-ly Walk" was written expressly for the band's eccentric dancer, Clifford "Red" Stanley (who was the husband of L&H supporting actress Anita Garvin). It would be wonderful to have a visual record of his dancing.
All the best--
Randy Skretvedt

Hi Randy!
Good to see you here!

Regarding the tradeshow date and release date of the first short, before it was released in June 1, 1929 at least two other films beat them to it, using the song "Wob-a-ly Walk":
LIBERTY (1-26-29) - Hal Roach-MGM short.
CLOSE HARMONY (4-13-29) - Paramount feature.

And regarding Red Stanley's dance to "Wob-a-ly Walk" in the Aaronson short, maybe we can't see it but here's how it was described in the short's cutting continuity:
(At end of song "Low Down"):
(Five boys who sang the song) Bow and go back to their places. The orchestra plays it through once, the boys say "We've got a new dance, what's the name of the dance, the Wa Wa Wobaly Walk".
Three of the boys do the "Wobaly Walk" with "Red" Stanley doing a specialty, while the orchestra sings -
(Followed by the song's lyrics as sung by the orchestra).
(It's the third and last song in the short, so at its conclusion they):
Bow and finish.

Okay, reading it sure don't beat watching Red Stanley, but at least there's a little info on how it was done in the short.

Thanks for the kind words and the suggestions, Seth. Yes, Ron and the Vitaphone folks know that I'm on the lookout for the Aaronson shorts and the disc for the first one. (I'd also love to see again the 1934 Columbia short "Love Detectives," which features Aaronson band member Red Stanley in a prominent supporting role. It ran at a Cinecon a couple of years ago.)

Rich--many thanks for the excerpt from the cutting continuity, and where did you get it and how may I obtain a copy? That would be *very* useful to me. Yes, I knew about the use of "Wob-a-ly Walk" in "Liberty," where it provides commentary on the boys' shaky footing atop the girders. Does the complete "Close Harmony" exist? I saw a reel of just the musical numbers several years ago, but it was not the entire film. (However, I do have a Paramount short with the Boswell Sisters called "Close Farmony," but I guess that's not Close enough.)

All the best--
Randy

Yes, I believe CLOSE HARMONY exists, because I believe the UCLA Archive showed it a couple of years ago, and the Paramount archivist spoke about information on the music she'd found in the archives.

I'd also love to see again the 1934 Columbia short "Love Detectives," which features Aaronson band member Red Stanley in a prominent supporting role. It ran at a Cinecon a couple of years ago.)

Rich--many thanks for the excerpt from the cutting continuity, and where did you get it and how may I obtain a copy? That would be *very* useful to me. Yes, I knew about the use of "Wob-a-ly Walk" in "Liberty," where it provides commentary on the boys' shaky footing atop the girders. Does the complete "Close Harmony" exist? I saw a reel of just the musical numbers several years ago, but it was not the entire film. (However, I do have a Paramount short with the Boswell Sisters called "Close Farmony," but I guess that's not Close enough.)

All the best--
Randy

Randy,
Nothin' to it about the Aaronson short cutting contiuity...I'll send you a copy.

CLOSE HARMONY definitely exists complete - we saw it last August 14 at Capitolfest in Rome, NY. It was great to finally see it complete (I also have had that reel of just the musical numbers for years).
Coincidentally, you mentioned LOVE DETECTIVES...that was also shown at the same Capitolfest (the night before, on August 13). It was a highlight of the weekend for me, being especially interested in researching the Columbia "Musical Novelties" series and that being one of the few remaining I hadn't yet seen. I am still hoping that some time in our lifetimes we will see that series released on DVD or some home video format. I still need to see two more in the series.
And regarding Red Stanley's appearance in LOVE DETECTIVES, don't forget he's also in the Musical Novelty short SUSIE'S AFFAIRS (6th in the series, June 1, 1934) and gets a lot to do, including a bit of his comedy trombone playing.

Capitolfest is a great weekend of films in the vintage restored 1928 Capitol Theatre each August. You should make the trip out - it would be great to have you there, and I'm sure you'd have a wonderful time. Lots of rare shorts, silents and early talkies.

http://www.romecapitol.com/capitolfest.html"

And yes, of course I knew you know about "Wob-a-ly Walk" being used in LIBERTY, but I had to mention it!
And yes, I have a copy of that Boswell Sisters short too!