The Leslie Jones Collection Vol. II

The Little Orchestra of London

HTGCD 303 – 5060332661961

3 CDs

Leslie Jones (1905-1982) is hardly a household name in the world of classical music. But he was hugely important in developing the way we listen to and appreciate music today. His neglect in recent years is probably due to the fact that he had a somewhat unorthordox career – a lawyer who dedicated himself to professional music making in his retirement. In the 1960s, he established The Little Orchestra of London which consisted of top London freelance players. Jones was at the forefront of the movement to reduce the size of orchestras for performances of 18th and 19th century music and an early adopter of period performance practice, long before it became part of the mainstream several decades later. His LP recordings were illuminating in their interpretation of familiar repertoire.