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Billy Thompson
Other / Jazz / Rock

You CAN improvise!



Bala, North Wales
United Kingdom

Profile Views:  10327




Last Login:  6/17/2009
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   Billy Thompson: General Info
Member Since10/9/2006
Band Websitehttp://www.billythompson.co.uk
Band MembersMany and varied... Depends on the project...

My latest project is called Billy Thompson Gypsy Style and when I've finished building my new studio this is to be the first project I record. The core of the group is guitarist Andy Mackenzie and myself and the full 6-piece festival line-up includes Huw Warren on accordion.

In Amledd there is Rhian Williams (voice), Huw Symonds (guitar), Dave 'Taif' Ball (fretless bass) and Steve Roberts (Drums)

In Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia we've got Barbara Thompson on tenor, alto and soprano Saxes (we aren't related by the way), Peter Lemer (Keyboards/Programming), Dave 'Taif' Ball (fretless Bass) and Jon Hiseman (Drums). Take a look at a brand new video from the 2005 tour of Germany - the track is called Close to the Edge

Details of all other bands on my web-site...

Future projects include a new Gypsy album, a Thompson/Lemer Quartet album and an Electronic album.

My 'Top Friends' section consists of people I've worked with over the years that have a MySpace... And some buddies...

I haven't worked with David Oistrakh but I did my dissertation on him in music college cos he's ace.
InfluencesStephane Grappelli, Jean-Luc Ponty, Didier Lockwood, Stuff Smith, Nigel Kennedy, The Turtle Island String Quartet, Dona Lee Croft, Rob Thompson (my brother), Russell Thompson (my late uncle), Alan Thompson (my late father), Denise Thompson (my mum), David Oistrakh, Diversion, Stan Getz, Oscar Peterson, Art Blakey, The Wonder Stuff, Mike Scott, The Levellers, Keith Tippett, Barbara Thompson, Jon Hiseman, Peter Lemer, Pink Floyd (Final Cut), Bach, Matthew Herbert, Allan Holdsworth, Orbital, Squarepusher, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Django Rheinhardt, Birélli Lagrène and everything else that is truly excellent and played from the soul.

P.S. Almost forgot Ned's Atomic Dustbin for a moment there...
Sounds LikeHaving carried on studying classically under the guru of violin technique Dona Lee Croft for a year after graduating from Music college and having my mind freed further by the likes of Keith Tippett, Barbara Thompson, Jon Hiseman and Peter Lemer, I like to feel that I now have the chops to play whatever I like... I've never let my influences make me want to 'copy' them as some musicians do. So, what I'm trying to say is that I feel I sound like ME whether I'm playing in a Jazz, Rock, Singer/Songwriter, Techno, Gypsy setting or whatever... When I'm improvising I'm playing from my soul adding to the overall sound of the music being performed.
Record LabelThompsound Music
Type of LabelIndie


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   About Billy Thompson



iTunes logo
Now available on iTunes with Amledd... Click on the iTunes logo to go straight to Amledd on the iTunes store.

Hello,

I’m a classically trained improvising violinist and perform many styles of music ranging from Gypsy Jazz through to Modern Jazz and Techno, singer/songwriter accompaniment through to full-on Rock.

Amledd features all original music written by my partner Rhian Williams and myself. The band features some of the best musicians in the UK. They are namely Huw Symonds on guitar, Dave ’Taif’ Ball on fretless Bass and Steve Roberts on Drums.

I’ve played many styles of music over the 10 years or so that I have been a professional musician and have played on all sorts of stages with all sorts of bands. I recently recorded with Manfred Mann for his latest project and just recently returned from Japan with Barbara Thompson’s Paraphernalia.

Notable highlights have included the recording and touring with Barbara Thompson’s Paraphernalia including 2 headlining weeks at Ronnie Scott’s, being the main support Tom Jones with the Amigos in front of 25,000 in Pontyprydd, Brecon Jazz Festival under my own name, going to the Django Rheinhardt festival at Samois-sur-Seine and playing with some of the World’s best manouche guitarists there. Frieking ravers out on two occasions performing with DJs at the huge Synergie events, headlining the Faenol Festival with Meic Stevens, performing with Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra at St David’s Hall, performing with gypsy maestro Lollo Meier at Le Quecumbar and performing at the North Wales International Guitar Festival in 2007 with Gary Potter, Robin Nolan and Andreas Oberg.

What with only being able to add 6 tracks to these MySpace pages I very much urge y’all to check out my long running web page which is at billythompson.co.uk. Here there are full details of all the main projects that I have been involved with since 1997 including Amledd, Barbara Thompson’s Paraphernalia (Barbara and I are not related by the way), The Amigos, Meic Stevens and others together with photos, videos, sound files, biographies, a shop, press page and extensive links page.

On one occasion whilst touring Europe with Barbara Thompson’s Paraphernalia we shared the same bill as Jean-Luc Ponty in Budapest, Hungary. Jean-Luc has always been a great influence on me. At the time I was trying to get a deal on the Zeta Midi Violin and Jean-Luc was Zeta’s main endorsee at the time so I asked him to have a listen to me. The top man that he is meant that he did indeed listen to me and helped me secure a superb deal on a Zeta violin. I am also endorsed by Carlo Giodano Violins who make superb Electric Violins at a very reasonable price and also by The Swipe which is an excellent string cleaning product that helps preserve the life of strings for all string instruments.

I’ve added a couple of video clips below of Billy in action. The first is a video filmed in Ronnie Scott’s club London back in 2001 the second time that Barbara Thompson’s Paraphernalia headlined there featuring Billy. The second video is from the 2005 Faenol gig Billy did with Meic Stevens a’r Band.

Twice a year I run courses in ’Improvisation on the Violin’ for the Benslow Music Trust. There are plans to do more of these elsewhere around the UK so either check back here for details or go to the gigs page on my web-site billythompson.co.uk.

Since joining Barbara Thompson’s Paraphernalia back in 1998 I have also got into sound recording... With help from the Prince’s Trust I got my first studio set-up with Digidesign’s 001 system at the core. This has grown into me now having the ability to produce a whole album all by myself - Recorded, Mixed, Mastered, the lot. My label is called Thompsound Music and produced Meic Stevens’ ’Ysbryd Solva’ album back in 2001 amongst other projects.

Amledd’s album was recorded using Digidesign’s 002 system mainly at our home studio set-up in the attic. The beauty of Digidesign’s Pro Tools came into its own with this album as for the drums I took my hard drive and drummer (Steve Roberts) to Jon Hiseman’s Temple Music studio in Sutton, Surrey. I plugged my hard drive into his all singing all dancing Digidesign HD system and did all the drums there... Brilliant. Also of amusement/note was the violin solo to track 4 of the album, ’Pistyll’. I did this in my hotel room in Erfürt, Germany whilst on tour with Barbara Thompson’s Paraphernalia November of 2005 using an MBox! Have a listen on Amledd’s MySpace page.

I’m off to do some practise now... Keep smiling...

Ronnie Scott’s 1

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Y Brawd Houdini, w. Meic Stevens, Faenol 2005

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Billy 1

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   Billy Thompson's Friend Space (Top 28)
Billy Thompson has 532 friends.
 Amledd 


 Jonesy 


 Peter Lemer 


 Huw Warren 


 Steve Roberts : Drummer 


 sandy bartai 


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 Gai Toms 


 Nobsta Nutts 


 gadjojazz 


 Lollo Meier 


 Tim Robinson 


 Katz 


 Wyn Pearson 


 matt sage 


 Le QuecumBar 


 Keith Tippett Tapestry Orchestra 


 Alex Wilson 


 Alex Stanford 


 RB Funkestra 


 Shonu 


 Ricardo El Gato 


 Flamingstratman 


 Toyshop Murders 


 Meic Stevens 


 Bowed Radio 


 DAVID OISTRAKH 


 World Jazz Network 





Billy Thompson's Friends Comments
Displaying 25 of 87 comments  ( View All | Add Comment )
Kate Ceberano and Mark Isham





Jun 10 2009 5:14 PM

Hey, thanks for the add! Hope you are doing great!
Mark + Kate
Kate Ceberano & Mark Isham - Bittersweet
http://www.bittersweetthealbum.com
ISM Recording





Jun 9 2009 2:28 PM

Hi,
Thanks for joining my "Myspace Friends, always nice to make new friends.
Please be sure to visit my Profile, any comments are most welcome.
Always happy to chat....

Best wishes,
Ian.
Cardiff Jazz Festival





May 22 2009 10:13 AM

Welsh Jazz Awards '09

Get voting at...

www.cardiffjazzfestival.com
Wes McGhee





May 3 2009 1:44 PM

HI! Glad you liked the pianists!!

Cheers, Wes
Project Mojo





Apr 28 2009 2:22 PM

Better to have loved and lost a short person than never to have loved a tall.
~ David Chambless


Thank you so much for adding us to your friends list.

When you get the chance to listen to some of our songs, please leave a comment and let us know which ones you like best.


Have a lovely day,

Lola

DUO MOSÏK





Jan 2 2009 4:06 AM

Thanks for the add, nice music here!

<— CLICK THE IMAGE and listen to good MOSÏK!
Janis





Dec 21 2008 1:46 PM

I wish you the best for the holidays.
May Love and Peace fill your life always.
Look forward to seeing your play again very soon.
Robin Nolan





Oct 29 2008 1:51 PM

Hi Billy - all the best mate!
robin
Bar Zalel





Sep 29 2008 10:20 AM

Hi Billy, interesting stuff! I have a new album out, Premier, and it's all free on my page.
Enjoy!
Gai Toms





Sep 17 2008 11:54 AM

Iawn Billy, sorry, been away in Ffrainc. Ychydig o haul!

Llongyfarchiadau mawr!

XXX
Ian Whiteway





Sep 10 2008 4:04 PM

Hi Billy

How's it going, your looking busy!

Not disappeared down a 'black hole' yet then . .

Bye for the moment.


CLICK HERE FOR PROFILEPOUNDER.COM GRAPHICS
PROFILEPOUNDER. COM..
Asaf Sirkis





Sep 3 2008 9:53 AM

Hi Billy,

Thanks for adding me.
I am listening to your page now - great stuff, well done!

Best,
Asaf
PS: there are a few free downloads on my myspace page if you're interested...
ZVUK BAZAAR





Sep 2 2008 6:21 PM

Hi Billy, many thanks for adding us to your friends. Enjoyed your playing. All the best, Bodjo.
Tom Twit





Aug 19 2008 8:17 PM

Sut mae Billy, how is the young family doing? Iechyd a pob bendith.

Dan bach
Janis





Jul 18 2008 3:23 PM

Have a nice weekend!
IN~M8





Jul 3 2008 6:49 PM

Hey Bill, great to hear from you mate. Glad you like the mix a little better, I think you have a point tho in that it should be a tad less processed. Will try another mix for sure.

Good to hear your studio is gettin there too. Christian and I haven't managed to get an awful lot done recently what with one thing and another. Really hoping to get some time and headspace to crack into into it asap.

Will forward on results as and when.

What about your music situ? What's going on there? Update me daddyo :)

Cheers Bill
Dewi Prysor





May 16 2008 8:02 PM

diolch yn fawr billy.
slanje!
o'prysor :-)
Neil Stacey





May 5 2008 9:40 AM

hi Billy!
thanks for your kind words!
great to meet..
keep in touch..
all the best
neil :)
Adonis





Apr 25 2008 3:39 PM

Thanks for he add. I just got introduced to your music and I enjoy it. I look forward to hearing more of it in the future.
BACKBEATING SOUNDS





Apr 21 2008 1:24 PM

Photobucket

Still open for bands!!!
One of Wales’ biggest and newest events, encompassing 2 days, 4 stages, 60 bands, and the capacity for 3000 people!
The festival is for charity, with proceeds going partly to help projects in the local community and partly to help young musicians in the area, with advertising, their equipment, etc. The ethos is very much that it is run like a community, so people helping each other out rather to help cut down the exchange of cash. We aim to work with ethical companies, aim to actively promote both welsh music, and environmental issues and solutions.
Check it out at www. thesquarefestival. com
And get in touch for further details.
admin@backbeating.co.uk
or
theraffle@googlemail.com
World Jazz Network





Apr 16 2008 5:33 PM

June Tabor and Huw Warren

Theatr Harlech
19 April, 7.30pm

"Tabor's singing is spellbinding - one of the great voices in any genre"
The guardian
01766 780 667/www. theatrharlech.
com
Uwe Arthur Felchle





Apr 10 2008 11:58 AM

it is always great to find new friends!!!have a wonderful week!
basspower!!
..in funk we trust!..
uwe
Rafael





Apr 8 2008 7:32 PM

Hola Billy! Hope u r cool n sounding nice with my mic ;-)
Serkan KARAMAN





Mar 14 2008 12:26 AM

My Friend,please ckeck out my video...
Rebecca Zapen





Mar 12 2008 9:03 PM

billy thompson, let rip! :)
x
rebecca
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