Concepts of Jazz - Jazz Theory Book by Bill Palmer

BY AUTHOR BILL PALMER...........................................................................

BOOK REVIEW
Australian Guitar Magazine - Published in the August 2005 Edition
Reviewed by Karl Mayerhofer

CONCEPTS OF JAZZ FOR ALL MUSICIANS:
VOLUME 1 by Bill Palmer

THIS instructional resource from 27-year-old Australia guitarist and music teacher Bill Palmer, is just about the best we've seen in terms of demystifying the art of jazz and teaching the theory in easy-to-swallow mouthfuls. It's aimed at musicians who are already playing, and covers everything from the basics, like the 2-5-1 pattern (the jazz equivalent of rock's 1-4-5 chord progression) and it's variations, through to tips for improvising with 7,8,5 and 6 note scales, arpeggios, triads, digitals, pentatonics and symmetrical scales. All manner of chord substitutions are included, as well as a guide to standard progressions, including jazz blues, Parker blues, minor blues and cyclic progressions. The appendices are extremely valuable, with notation for no fewer than 27 families of scales, and much more. The spiral binding also means you don't have to weigh each side of the book down when you're playing from it, and while there's no tablature, there's nothing really complex enough to require it.

Karl Mayerhofer

INSTRUMENTAL
GUITAR CD
BY BILL PALMER
‘Outlines’ is an instrumental rock guitar album that straddles the stylistic line between rock, ambient and jazz. A fusion of melodic rock with the harmonic content from jazz orientated music all based around Bill’s unique guitar voice. The title 'Outlines' comes from the multi-faceted approach that Bill has always had: it's both an "outline" of Bill's playing at this point and expresses his musical ideal to
step "outside the lines."
The album contains rich distorted textures, washes of chorus and delay, wah
infected slide, jazzy-esque single note lines and stark yet memorable melodies. It
ranges from melancholy and emotional tracks like "Falling Free" and "Urban Lullaby" to the hard hitting rock of "S.N.F" and "Trippin." Bill also incorporates his own take on "Coltrane changes" with the title track "Outlines" and the dreamy
sounding "New rays from a distant sun."
Mixed and mastered by virtuoso guitarist and heavyweight producer TJ Helmerich in California USA, Outlines is hardly just another "guitar" album but rather an
evolved musical statement from a creative, original and diverse artist.

"Bill Palmer's book Concepts of Jazz has been hailed as one of the best in its field."
Northern Beaches Weekender
Sydney Australia

"...just about the best we've seen in terms of demystifying the art of jazz and teaching the theory in easy-to-swallow mouthfuls..."
Australian Guitar Magazine
August 2005 by Karl Mayerhofer