[78-L] Irving Aaronson on Vocalion

David Lennick dlennick at sympatico.ca
Mon Sep 13 21:01:25 PDT 2010


Was the flip side The Humming Chorus?

<rimshot>

dl

On 9/13/2010 11:26 PM, Royal Pemberton wrote:
> I haven't heard any of these, but is the hum anywhere near as bad as it is
> on Victor 45519 (Trinity Choir, Lucy Marsh)?
>
> On Tue, Sep 14, 2010 at 3:48 AM, Taylor Bowie<bowiebks at isomedia.com>  wrote:
>
>> I don't think there was a hotter or more punchy white dance band recording
>> in 1933 than that of Irving Aaronson on Vocalion.  I've had a numner of
>> questions running around in my head about the group,  and those 1933
>> records
>> in particular.
>>
>> 1.  Rumor and some authorities have always said that it's Gene Krupa on the
>> drums on these 1933 Aaronsons.  I've listened to them for years and agree
>> that it is he.  Is this still the general consensus about these sides?
>>
>> 2.  Any idea who was writing the arrangements?  They are sure unlike other
>> records of the same tunes...radically different and way hotter in almost
>> every case,  even on he slower tempo numbers.    No stocks here.
>>
>> 3.Did  pianist Horace Diaz come directly to Aaronson from the Julie Wintz
>> band?  Perhaps he was writing some of these great charts...his piano work
>> on
>> these (ensemble and solo) is flat out fabulous.  He did do arrangements
>> later on for Charlie Barnet,  and both arranged and played  second piano
>> for
>> Eddie Duchin (Diaz playing second to Duchin is as painful a musical irony
>> as
>> I can imagine).
>>
>> 4.  A couple of the disks have a ghastly power hum in the recording...about
>> the worst I've heard.  This seemed to have happend frequently with
>> Vocalions
>> of the era.  Why did this happen,  and did it show up on equipment at the
>> time?
>>
>> 5.  Although Rust lists Ernie Mathias as vocal on  "That's How Rhythm Was
>> Born" it is not he,  and the label credits the vocal to Harmon Nelson.
>> Movie trivia phreaks will recognize him as the band-leading first husband
>> of
>> Bette Davis.  Is Harmon Nelson credited on any other records of the era?
>>
>> Thanks in advance,  as always.
>>
>>
>> Taylor
>>
>>



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