Bill Hartsell has been playing guitar since age 8, when he picked up his Dad’s guitar and tried to learn the solo to Earth, Wind, and Fire’s “That’s The Way Of The World.”  He took up the piano at age 12 and about that time developed an interest in jazz.  “I can trace my interest in jazz back to watching the old Charlie Brown specials on television.  I loved Vince Guaraldi’s tunes, and I wanted to know what made them different from the pop music I was hearing on the radio in the late 70’s, early 80’s.”

Bill currently plays guitar with Perpetua, a Lincoln County-based jazz ensemble.  He enjoys spending time with local youth, teaching guitar and jazz appreciation.  His main areas of interest in jazz are narrative improvisation, composition, and chord theory.  He enjoys everything from George Gershwin to Alison Krauss, from Cocteau Twins to Steely Dan, from Miles Davis to Pat Metheny.  "If it involves nice melody and harmony, and has any measure of improvisation, I'm there."

Bill cites many guitar players as influences:  Pat Metheny, Wes Montgomery, Alex Lifeson, Marty Willson-Piper, Marshall Crenshaw, Johnny Marr, Robin Guthrie, Toninho HOrta, Larry Carlton, and Lee Ritenour to name a few.

AUDIO SAMPLES :

 Bernoulli's Principle (mp3)

Violao (mp3)

Las Ramblas (mp3)

Bill's Gear:

Gibson ES-175T

Fender Stratocaster (American Standard)

Taylor 314-CE

Alesis M-EQ230 Graphic Equalizer

Boss GX-700 PreAmp and Effects Processor

Currently on Bill's CD Changer:

Pat Metheny Group - Travels

Van Morrison - Moondance

Yellowjackets - Club Nocturne

Michael Brecker - Pilgrimage

Toninho Horta - Diamond Land

Jeff Hamilton Trio - Live From Studio 4, Cologne, Germany