Jump to content

Gene Bertoncini

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gene Bertoncini
Born(1937-04-06)April 6, 1937
New York City, U.S.
DiedAugust 29, 2026(2026-08-29) (aged 89)
Englewood, New Jersey, U.S.
GenreJazz
OccupationMusician
InstrumentGuitar
Years active1960s–2026
LabelsMPS, Stash, Chiaroscuro, Concord, Motéma

Gene Joseph Bertoncini (April 6, 1937 – August 29, 2026) was an American jazz guitarist.

Life and career

[edit]

Born in New York City on April 6, 1937, Bertoncini grew up in a musical family.[1][2] His father, Mario Bertoncini (1901–1978), played guitar and harmonica. His brother Renny (1934–2023), played accordion and keyboards. Bertoncini began playing guitar at age seven and by age sixteen was appearing on television. He graduated from high school and attended the University of Notre Dame, where, in 1959, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Architectural Engineering.[3][4] He also played clarinet for the Notre Dame marching band.[1] His first guitar teacher was Johnny Smith.[5]

After college he entered the Marines, then moved to Chicago, where he became immersed in the jazz scene, working with Carmen McRae.[1] He returned to New York City and played with vibraphonist Mike Mainieri and then in one of Buddy Rich's ensembles.[1] He was a member of the Tonight Show band.[1] He also worked with Burt Bacharach, Tony Bennett, Paul Desmond, Benny Goodman, Lena Horne, Hubert Laws, Michel Legrand, Norman Paris, Charles McPherson, Wayne Shorter, Clark Terry, and Nancy Wilson.[1] He performed often with bassist Michael Moore.[1]

Bertoncini was notable in the world of jazz guitar for using a nylon-string guitar in performances and recordings, as Charlie Byrd had done in the 1950s and 1960s. After hearing a Julian Bream album on the advice of his teacher Chuck Wayne,[5] Bertoncini began studying classical guitar and using the instrument for jazz and Latin music styles. Bertoncini discussed his use of the instrument in a 2008 interview:

I started practicing classical guitar just about the time when the bossa nova hit. Joao [Gilberto] was borrowing my guitar, I was playing the classical repertoire, and all these things kind of came together. I was doing studio work at the time, and I got a call to play on a big album by Ahmad Jamal; they wanted somebody to play a bossa nova kind of thing.[6]

From 1990 to 2008, Bertoncini played solo guitar on Sunday and Monday evenings at the Bistro La Madeleine on West 43rd Street in New York City.[7] He recorded two albums of solo guitar arrangements (Body and Soul and Quiet Now) and published ten of these arrangements in Gene Bertoncini Plays Jazz Standards.[8]

He was on the faculties of William Paterson University, New York University, Eastman School of Music,[5] New England Conservatory, and the Banff School of Fine Arts in Alberta, Canada. Bertoncini was also on the staff of the Tritone Jazz Fantasy Camps.

Bertoncini died at the Lillian Booth Actors Home in Englewood, New Jersey, on August 29, 2026, at the age of 89.[2][9][10]

Discography

[edit]

As leader

[edit]
  • Evolution (Evolution, 1969)
  • Bridges with Michael Moore (GJB Music, 1977)
  • The Guitar Session with Jay Berliner, Toots Thielemans, Richard Resnicoff (Philips, 1977)
  • Crystal & Velvet with Bobbi Rogers (Focus, 1981)
  • O Grande Amor with Michael Moore and Edison Machado (Stash, 1986)
  • Strollin' with Michael Moore (Stash, 1987)
  • Close Ties with Michael Moore (Musical Heritage Society, 1987)
  • Two in Time with Michael Moore (Chiaroscuro, 1989)
  • Jiggs & Gene with Jiggs Whigham (Azica, 1996)
  • Someone to Light Up My Life (Chiaroscuro, 1996)
  • Interplay with Fred Haas (JazzToons, 1997)
  • Gene Bertoncini with Bill Charlap and Sean Smith (Chiaroscuro, 1999)
  • East Meets Midwest with Kenny Poole (J-Curve, 1998)
  • Body and Soul (Ambient, 1999)
  • Just the Two of Us with Jack Wilkins (Chiaroscuro, 2000)
  • Autumn Leaves at Astley's with Frank Vignola (True Track, 2001)
  • Meeting of the Grooves with Frank Vignola (Azica, 2002)
  • Acoustic Romance with Akira Tana and Rufus Reid (Sons of Sound, 2003)
  • Quiet Now (Ambient, 2005)
  • Just Above a Whisper (Stellar Sound Productions, 2005)
  • Concerti (Ambient, 2008)
  • Smile with Roni Ben-Hur (Motéma, 2008)
  • 2+2=1 (Blueport Jazz, 2009)
  • Reunion (Ambient, 2012)
  • Love Like Ours (Ambient, 2022)[11]

As sideman

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Yanow, Scott (2008). The Jazz Singers. Milwaukee, WI: Backbeat. p. 23. ISBN 978-0-87930-825-4.
  2. 1 2 Friedwald, Will (September 3, 2026). "Gene Bertoncini, Jazz Guitarist Who Dazzled With Subtlety, Dies at 89". Retrieved September 3, 2026.
  3. ↑ Wynn, Ron. "Gene Bertoncini Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  4. ↑ Summerfield, Maurice. 1998. The Jazz Guitar: Its Evolution, Players and Personalities Since 1900. United Kingdom: Ashley Mark Publishing
  5. 1 2 3 Koenig, Kate (October 1, 2021). "Guitar Talk: Gene Bertoncini and His Unique Nylon-String Approach to Jazz". Acoustic Guitar. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  6. ↑ Bertoncini, Gene (April 7, 2008). "Gene Bertoncini: Architect of the Guitar". All About Jazz (Interview). Interviewed by Schlesinger, Judith. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
  7. ↑ Ratliff, Ben (March 5, 2008). "More Than Just Background". The New York Times. New York, NY: New York Times. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  8. ↑ Bertoncini, Gene (2012). Gene Bertoncini Plays Jazz Standards. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Hal Leonard. ISBN 9781458418425.
  9. ↑ Barth, Joe (August 31, 2026). "Fingerstyle Jazz Guitarist Gene Bertoncini Dies At Age 89". Jazz Guitar Today. Retrieved August 31, 2026.
  10. ↑ West, Michael J. (September 1, 2026). "In Memoriam: Gene Bertoncini". DownBeat. Retrieved September 7, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Gene Bertoncini: Love Like Ours". Ambient Records. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gene_Bertoncini&oldid=1373965055"