Recordings

Body And Soul (2)

I'm playing two guitar tracks here... first is chords and bass lines.... second is the lead...

Jonathan Billam

i got you under my skin

She's All Around - 10:11:2019, 13.18

I wrote Time Slips Away a very long time ago... back in early 90s

Time Slips Away

Original song ... music and lyrics written by Jonathan Billam - back in  80s

Moves

Myself and musical partner wrote this song back in early 90s

Men Cry

This is a song I wrote way back in the 80s ....I was a young man in my early 20s! It was recorded by our band '6 Second Epic'. I've always loved it and in my late 50s realise it is a metaphor that carries a lot of significance. I hope people like it.

Cartoon

Carcassi piece I learned as a young boy. I've loved it ever since...

Carcassi A Maj - 27:11:2019, 14.19

A song I wrote back  in 2000s - Jonathan Billam

Tugboat - 09:12:2019, 14.08

Gypsy jazz approach to this gorgeous old song ..

Days of Wine and Roses - 06:01:2020, 14.25

Recently retired from teaching, I'm spending a lot of time playing guitar and songwriting. I've played most of my life. I am like many people, who realise that perhaps retirement is a point where the deep seated love of music calls you back to those moments that a career ultimately forces you to sublimate. I also do quite a bit of painting in watercolour. I started as a kid and learned some classical guitar, gravitated to electric guitar by late teens. Played in several bands, culminating in 12 years with The Fireflies, playing clubs, pubs and weddings. In my 40s I spent a lot of time teaching myself jazz solo guitar, following Martin Taylor, combing classical with jazz technique.  I then fell in love with Tommy Emmanuel and began to play steel string acoustic. Over the last few years, now in late 50s,  I have returned to Classical guitar too, playing Bach in particular. Recently I wrote a song... 'All Around'... which seemed to take about 20 minutes and just came along unexpectedly out of nowhere. It inspired me to record a simple version of a song written back in early 90s (Time Slips Away) . I aim to record a mixture of things here on SoundCloud: songs I've written, jazz standards some interpretations of Tommy Emmanuel  pieces and also some classical guitar.