Guitarist Gene Bertoncini passed away on August 29 at the age of 89. Once described by jazz writer David Adler as “one of the true masters of the nylon-string acoustic jazz guitar,” Bertoncini played with many of jazz’s legends including Benny Goodman, Buddy Rich, and Wayne Shorter.
In an AllMusic review of his 1999 Ambient Records solo album, Body and Soul, Adler wrote that Bertoncini’s arrangements result “in highly individual reworkings of great standards . . . Bertoncini even makes lesser showtunes like ‘Edelweiss’ and ‘How Are Things in Glocca Morra’ sound like mini-symphonies.”
The October issue of Jersey Jazz Magazine will include more coverage of his life and career.