YOUNG jazz violinist Billy Thompson, who is guest artist at Tuesday's meeting of North Wales Jazz Society, hails originally from Neston. A player whose style crosses the borders from modern to gipsy jazz, Billy comes from an extremely musical background. His late father, Alan, played and taught the clarinet and saxophone to a very high standard; his mother, Denise, plays and teaches flute; his uncle, Russell Thompson, a violinist and a sometime leader of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, proved to be a great inspiration to him. Originally classically trained, Billy has toured the USA twice and visited Germany as a member of the Cheshire County Youth Orchestra. His year studying music at the University of Wales, Cardiff, was followed by a degree course at the Welsh College of Music and Drama where he studied with Barry Haskey, Keith Tippett and Dona-Lee Croft. Billy was a finalist in the UK's Young Jazz Musician of the Year competition in 1997 and 1998 and compere Jools Holland promptly booked him to perform with him at St David's Hall, Cardiff. Also among the judges was Barbara Thompson (no relation), as a result of which, for the past eight years, Billy has been a member of Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia with whom he has toured Europe and headlined at Ronnie Scott's. His own trio, Iff And Butt, performs regularly at the Brecon Jazz Festival and Billy has also appeared at the Gipsy Jazz Festival in Samois-sur-Seine with his band, The Amigos. The music at the Crown starts at 8.30pn and admission is £5 with £4 concessions. * Further information about North Wales Jazz Society is available on 01745 812260 or at www.northwalesjazz.org.uk | 
