Judah
Leon Aronoff (to give him
his birth name) was born
in Kiev in 1905 but moved
with his family to
Antwerp the following
year. He came to London
in 1914, becoming a
British citizen in 1929,
having changed his name
to Jack Leon.
Although
trained as a violinist,
he gave this up in favour
of conducting. His early
dance band records, of
which he made many,
served as a prelude to
the light orchestral
performances that were to
dominate his career. He
recorded extensively for
'Mood Music' libraries
and his recordings with
the New Concert Orchestra
are now becoming
available to a new
generation by way of
compact disc. Although
essentially a recording
orchestra, it did
occasionally broadcast.
Jack
Leon conducted his own
orchestra throughout the
forties and for much of
the fifties, appearing
regularly on 'Music
While You Work'
and later in 'Morning
Music',
for which he provided
more than forty
programmes. There was
also an untitled light
orchestral 'slot' at
7.15a.m to which Jack
Leon and his orchestra
regularly contributed.
There is one surviving
recording of this
orchestra in the BBC
Sound Archives which is a
perfect testimony to its
high standard of
performance.
Jack
Leon's theatrical
connections included the
London Casino and the
Theatre Royal, Drury
Lane, for which he was
Musical Advisor. He also
had a long association
with the Prince of Wales
Theatre, London as
Musical Director. He was
not particularly
well-known as a composer
but one composition of
his that was very
successful was 'Viva
Villa" written under
the pseudonym of
Stephen-Fonora
He
moved to Glasgow in 1956
to take up the
appointment of conductor
of the BBC
Scottish Variety
Orchestra,
a position he was
destined to hold for ten
years, broadcasting
several times every week.
He retired (albeit very
reluctantly) from the BBC
in 1966 and soon reformed
his own orchestra for
broadcasting. Early in
1967 he was given a
series of broadcasts in
'Breakfast Special'.
Sadly, after completing
only a few recordings he
collapsed in the street
in Glasgow having
suffered a heart attack
from which he died, aged
only 61, on 10th March
1967.
Jack
Leon was a perfectionist
and was regarded by some
as a 'hard task-master,'
but his daughter Miriam
remembers him only as a
kind and loving father
from whom she was parted
at the tender age of
eighteen.
With
324 editions of 'Music
While You Work' to his
credit, Jack Leon
conducted the most light
orchestral programmes in
the series.
Listen
to 'Morning Music' played
by Jack Leon and his
Orchestra
as broadcast on 30th
September 1954 at 8:20am.
MORNING
MUSIC
Home Service 30th
September 1954 at 8.20am.
played by Jack Leon and
his Orchestra
Blaze
of Glory
Love's Dream
After the Ball
Selection:
Hans Christian Anderson
Marionette in Mayfair
La Ronde
Tin Pan Alley Tunes:
. Someone Else's
Roses
. Gilly Gilly Ossenfeffer
. The Story of Tina
. Tennessee Wig Walk
Mexican Hat Dance
Song of Songs
Rip Van Twinkle
Selection: The Love
Parade |
Abe
Holzmann
Alphons
Czibulka
Frank Loesser
Guy Desslyn
Oscar Straus
Carson
Al Hoffman
Katrivanou
Cy Coleman
Trad. arr. Ronald Hanmer
Moya
David Nelson (Tommy
Reilly)
Victor Schertzinger |
MORNING
MUSIC at 8.20 a.m. on the
Home Service on
30th.December 1953
played by Jack Leon and
his Orchestra
El
Relicario
Selection:Great Day
Jealousy
The Boulevardier
Medley: Tin Pan Alley
Tunes
Wedding Dance
Moonlight over Tahiti
Barcelona
Selection: Guys and Dolls
|
Jose
Padilla
Vincent Youmans
Jacob Gade
Frederic Curzon
arr. Jack Leon
Jacques Press
Leslie Bridgemont
Tolchard Evans
Frank Loesser |
MUSIC
WHILE YOU WORK at 10.30
a.m. on 12th April 1956
played by Jack Leon and
his Orchestra
Calling
All Workers (Sig)
Begorrah!
The Bells of St.Mary's
Scotch and Chaser
Medley:
. Young and Foolish
. Memories are Made of
This
. Jimmy Unknown
. Pickin' a Chicken
Siciliano
Bubbling Over
Yodelling Strings
Selection: Summer Song
Calling all Workers (Sig)
|
Eric
Coates
Ray Martin
Emmet-Adams
Henry Croudson
Albert Hague
Terry Gilkyson
Roberts and Katz
Derek Bernfield
Harry Dexter
Percy Faith
Edward White
Dvorak/ Bernard Grun
Eric Coates |
Listen
to Jack Leon and his
Orchestra
playing 'Love's Dream
after the Ball' by
Czibulka
(60 second
clip)
|