Concepts of Jazz - Jazz Theory Book by Bill Palmer

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

BOOK REVIEW
Northern Beaches Weekender - January 2006

Northern Beaches guitarist and musician Bill Palmer has released an easy to follow instructional guide for would-be jazz musicians that has been hailed as one of the best in its field.

Concepts of Jazz, for all musicians Vol 1, contains 40 pages of written text and more than 60 pages of musical notation and examples.

It aims to demystify the art of jazz and is designed to be an effective and easy way to get into and explore the sounds and science of Jazz-based music.

Bill is a 27-year-old professional guitarist and teacher who has played with some of Australia's top rock and jazz musicians and has taught at some of Australia's most exclusive schools.

His educational flare is obvious in some of the more practical concepts he has incorporated into the book's design - such as making it ring bound so it will sit flat on a music stand so you can start applying what you've learnt without taking your eyes off the page. It's also covered with a strong laminate so it won't fall apart anytime soon.

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