Album Notes

In an age where music is increasingly driven by corporations, profit margins, and calculated marketing, Bill Hartzell has a Different Agenda. On the album Different Agenda, Bill shares a variety of music, with the common thread of challenging the musicians to explore and inviting the listener along for the ride. Acoustic sounds blend and contrast with the electronic, melodies percolate and evolve, improvisations reach for the unknown.

Listen to the sample tracks here, and then head on over to the "Add to Cart" button and purchase the CD for your collection of eclectic, honest, and exciting music.

Bill Hartzell began playing saxophone at age 11, and added guitar a few years later. From 1984 to 1988, he attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. At Berklee, guitar became his principal instrument. Majoring in Commercial Arranging, Bill studied many different composition and writing techniques for all styles of music. During his time at Berklee, Bill also was introduced to film scoring, jingle writing, and using computers in music.

After leaving Berklee, Bill stayed in the Boston area, writing music for several independent films, playing guitar (and singing) in rock bands, and also doing live sound mixing for other bands. He also had the opportunity to write and record program music for performers and presentations of other artistic disciplines, help several singers/songwriters arrange their material for bands of various sizes, and to perform in live theater productions. Recently Bill has focused on composition, production, and film scoring work, while remaining available for live performances. His personal music has turned in a jazzier direction, but infused with a rock edge and influenced by artists such as John Scofield and Mike Stern. Bill is also influenced by old-school fusion like the original Mahavishnu Orchestra, and the ethereal style of Bill Frisell.