Tossi Aaron - A Child's Introduction to Going to School [Riverside/Wonderland]

Tossi Aaron - A Child's Introduction to Going to School - Wonderland RLP/ CM 1496 - Original Riverside Pressing ? (Orpheum Productions New York City Inc), Red Label, Mono  

[Yes, this side is not listed in jazzdisco's RLP 1400 series, but this side is a genuine Riverside!  Jazzdisco's list is incomplete, Bsnpubs has the complete list.  It's kind of unclear where Wonderland as a subsidiary fit under an independent and somewhat commercially precarious jazz label (bankrupt ultimately in 1963) such as  Riverside - was the series another tax dodge (a la Prestige's ethnic folk and spoken word recordings) or was this series a genuine attempt to provide quality product for a rather niche market (children's music)? I tend to believe the latter as most Wonderland records that I encounter seem to be well thought out and executed]

Tossi Aaron - Singer, Narrator, Guitar

Irving Orenstein - Writer-Producer

Edited by Barret Clark

Recorded by Ray Fowler

Album Design Ken Deardoff

Released - November 9, 1963

Now for something completely different as the saying goes..... Tossi Aaron's "A Child's Introduction to Going to School"!  This is a rather charming and delightful side released as  part of Riverside's Wonderland Records children's music subsidiary. This side is sure to brighten you day...  We had guests over for Sunday brunch, and  we were all delighted when I put this side on the turntable. [Another mischievous smile, here :)]

For more information about this genre and style, with more examples from the Riverside Wonderland series, please see Matt Bynum's wonderful blog on children's records of the early 1960s. I love this profound comment left by visitor DN on Matt's page which I will quote in full: " I know in the grand scheme of the universe [these children's records] seem terribly trivial, but please accept my wholehearted thanks for bringing back a couple of very dear memories from my childhood. The only bad thing to come out of my exposure to this as an adult is that I positively weep openly for what passes as children's entertainment these days. Maybe a youngster will stumble across these, listen to one, and realize that once upon a time (pun intended) there was a form of children's entertainment not centered around selling you everything in the world." 


We met Tossi and interviewed her on the blog earlier this year. She recorded and  released two earlier folk sides on Prestige International - Folk Songs & Ballads (1961) and Jewish Folk Songs for the Second Generation (1962), but this was her last release, recorded and released sometime in 1963? Trust me, fifty years later, she's just as warm and funny today as her sweet narration on this long lost and obscure LP. 

This side, of course is impossible to obtain, but Tossi sent us her own copy!  Tossi adds briefly: "May have forgotten to mention that the script for the LP was written by ad executive, husband of a guitar student. He wasn't bad on rhyme schemes, but left it to me to compose or adapt the music for them. I do the narration as well. Released as part of a series, perhaps early 1960s, too long ago for accurate dating. Times have definitely changed with so many little ones going into daycare by age 2 or 3... low anxiety about starting school"!