Jazz Guitarist Gene Bertoncini Dies at 89, Capping a Career Bridging Jazz and Classical
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Sep 3
Jazz Guitarist Gene Bertoncini Dies at 89, Capping a Career Bridging Jazz and Classical
2 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Sep 3
Summary
Gene Bertoncini died Saturday at 89 at the Actors Fund Home in Englewood, New Jersey, his niece Nina Collins confirmed.
Across a career that began in Bronx-area restaurants with his brother Renny, Bertoncini became known for lyrical playing, subtle swing and arrangements that blurred jazz and classical music.
As a sideman, he accompanied major singers including Tony Bennett, Lena Horne and Nancy Wilson, and also played with Benny Goodman, Wayne Shorter and Michel Legrand.
His roughly 15-year partnership with bassist Michael Moore produced six albums and helped establish one of jazz’s most influential guitar-bass duos.
Bertoncini’s repertoire ranged from the Great American Songbook to European classical works and early bossa nova, underscoring his unusually broad reach in jazz.