Gene Bertoncini

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Gene Bertoncini
Born (1937-04-06) April 6, 1937 (age 87)
New York City, New York, U.S.
GenresJazz
Occupation(s)Musician
Instrument(s)Guitar
Years active1960s–present
LabelsMPS, Stash, Chiaroscuro, Concord, Motéma

Gene J. Bertoncini (born 6 April 1937) is an American jazz guitarist.

Biography[edit]

A native of New York City, Bertoncini grew up in a musical family.[1] 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.[2][3] He also played clarinet for the Notre Dame marching band.[1] His first guitar teacher was Johnny Smith.[4]

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 the Tonight Show band.[1] He has also worked with Burt Bacharach, Tony Bennett, Paul Desmond, Benny Goodman, Lena Horne, Hubert Laws, Michel Legrand, Charles McPherson, Wayne Shorter, Clark Terry, and Nancy Wilson.[1] He has 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 at the advice of his teacher Chuck Wayne,[4] 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.[5]

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.[6] 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.[7]

Bertoncini has been on the faculties of William Paterson University, New York University, Eastman School of Music,[4] New England Conservatory, and the Banff School of Fine Arts in Alberta, Canada. He has been on the staff of the Tritone Jazz Fantasy Camps.

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 (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)[8]

As sideman[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Yanow, Scott (2008). The Jazz Singers. Milwaukee, WI: Backbeat. p. 23. ISBN 978-0-87930-825-4.
  2. ^ Wynn, Ron. "Gene Bertoncini Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  3. ^ Summerfield, Maurice. 1998. The Jazz Guitar: Its Evolution, Players and Personalities Since 1900. United Kingdom: Ashley Mark Publishing
  4. ^ a b c Koenig, Kate (1 October 2021). "Guitar Talk: Gene Bertoncini and His Unique Nylon-String Approach to Jazz". Acoustic Guitar. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  5. ^ Schlesinger, Dr. Judith. "The Architect of the Guitar (interview)". All About Jazz. Retrieved 2011-09-28.
  6. ^ Ratliff, Ben (March 5, 2008). "More Than Just Background". The New York Times. New York, NY: New York Times. Retrieved 2023-05-30.
  7. ^ Bertoncini, Gene (2012). Gene Bertoncini Plays Jazz Standards. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Hal Leonard. ISBN 9781458418425.
  8. ^ "Gene Bertoncini: Love Like Ours". Ambient Records. Retrieved 5 October 2023.

External links[edit]

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