He was a jazz trumpeter born Leslie Richard Condon born in Kennington, London, England who started playing the trumpet from his late teens after being mostly self-taught.
He performed with local bands until he entered National Service and continued by playing at RAF Wroughton in Wiltshire with the Eager Beavers.
In 1952 he became a professional trumpeter and performed with several bands before becoming a musician on Cunard liners that regularly travelled across to the United States and gave him his first taste of bebop.
In 1954 he was a co-founder and pioneer of a new British bebop band with the drummer Tony Crombie and performed with the trombonist Ken Wray and the trumpeter Jimmy Deuchar. He also performed with Ronnie Scott and wrote and arranged music for Tony Crombie, recording with him in 1955.
He led his own Les Condon Quartet and went on to appear as a soloist and record with Tubby Hayes and Vic Lewis before becoming a member of the Tony Kinsey Quintet. He also became a member of Woody Herman’s (Anglo-American) Herd and the Downbeat Big Band in 1959.
In the 1960s he became a freelance musician as well as continuing with jazz and performed alongside the saxophonist Joe Harriott, several big bands and many other jazz musicians such as John Dankworth, Ronnie Ross and Kenny Graham. He worked for two weeks on the Ray Charles Big Band European tour.
At the same time he worked as a busy session musician in the studio for recordings, TV and radio.
During the 1970s he worked for two years on the musical stage production of Bubbling Brown Sugar and in 1981 he toured with the singer Jack Jones to South Africa.
Recordings he performed on include Revolver by The Beatles, Tap Turns On the Water: CCS Story by CCS, Swinging Music in the Modern Manner by Tony Crombie, The Cave of Montesinos by the John Dankworth Orchestra and Ken Wheeler, Blues at the Manor 1959-60 by Downbeat Big Band and Tubby Hayes, Third Face of Fame by Georgie Fame, Genius by Joe Harriott, London Pride 1957-1960 by Tubby Hayes, Mo’ Joe by Philly Joe Jones, The Tony Kinsey Collection: 1953-61 by Tony Kinsey, Bootleg Him! by Alexis Korner, Legacy by Ronnie Scott and the original cast recording of Jesus Christ Superstar along with many others.
In 1990 he had to stop playing the trumpet due to dental problems so turned to composing, studying and laying the piano at home.
He died of cancer in 2007 when he was 77 years old.
The Beatles Recordings
Got to Get You Into My Life (John Lennon/Paul McCartney)
Capitol, 4274, S45-X45624 (US 45 PS)
He is the trumpeter here…
Sources:
- https://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/feb/28/jazz.obituaries1
- http://henrybebop.co.uk/condon.htm
- https://www.allmusic.com/artist/les-condon-mn0001180643
- https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4353754/
- https://www.the-paulmccartney-project.com/artist/les-condon/
- https://www.allmusic.com/artist/les-condon-mn0001180643/credits
- https://www.discogs.com/artist/341592-Les-Condon