About this Event
Gene Bertoncini was one of the most respected guitarists in jazz, with a career that spanned more than six decades. He worked with many of the leading musicians and singers of his generation, including Benny Goodman, Clark Terry, Buddy Rich, Paul Desmond, Tony Bennett, Lena Horne, and Nancy Wilson. He was equally at home as a sideman, accompanist, arranger, and solo performer. His playing drew from jazz, classical music, and Brazilian music, and he became particularly known for his work on the nylon-string guitar.
Born in the Bronx in 1937, Bertoncini grew up in a musical Italian-American family. His father, Mario, played guitar and accordion and taught Gene and his older brother, Renny, Italian songs. Gene began playing guitar as a child, and by the age of twelve he and Renny were appearing on NBC’s The Children’s Hour. At the NBC studios, he met guitarist Johnny Smith, who became an important early teacher. By his teenage years, Bertoncini was already working as a professional musician in New York.
After high school, Bertoncini attended the University of Notre Dame, where he studied architecture. He continued to play music while in college, performing on guitar and clarinet. After graduating in 1959, he moved to Chicago and worked with singer Carmen McRae before returning to New York. He soon became part of the city’s studio and jazz scene, working with Buddy Rich and recording with Ahmad Jamal on Macanudo in 1962. His architectural training also influenced the way he approached music, particularly his understanding of structure and arrangement.
During the 1960s and 1970s, Bertoncini became a busy studio and touring musician. He worked with Benny Goodman, Clark Terry, Paul Desmond, Wayne Shorter, Hubert Laws, and many others. He also accompanied singers including Tony Bennett, Lena Horne, Nancy Wilson, Vic Damone, and Eydie Gormé. His work extended beyond jazz clubs and recording studios to television, where he performed with the orchestras of Merv Griffin and Johnny Carson. He also worked with composers and arrangers including Lalo Schifrin and Michel Legrand and performed with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.
Bertoncini became increasingly interested in the possibilities of the nylon-string guitar. After studying with guitarist Chuck Wayne and discovering the playing of classical guitarist Julian Bream, he began developing his own approach to combining classical technique with jazz improvisation. Rather than using a pick, he played with his fingers, producing a sound that allowed him to move between chords, melody, and counterpoint. He became known for bringing the nylon-string guitar into jazz settings in a way few other musicians had done.
In 1970, Bertoncini began a long musical partnership with bassist Michael Moore. The two performed and recorded together for decades, exploring jazz standards, classical pieces, Brazilian music, and popular songs. Bertoncini also developed a close connection to Brazilian music, particularly the compositions of Antonio Carlos Jobim. His arrangements and recordings of Jobim’s music became an important part of his repertoire, and he continued to perform Brazilian music throughout his career.
Bertoncini was also an accomplished solo guitarist. For eighteen years he performed regularly at La Madeleine in midtown Manhattan, where he developed a following as a solo performer. His 1999 appearance in New York was named by The Washington Post as the best jazz concert of the year. He continued to record and perform as a soloist, including albums such as Acoustic Romance, Someone to Light Up My Life, and Quiet Now.
Teaching became another important part of Bertoncini’s career. He taught at the Eastman School of Music, William Paterson University, and the New England Conservatory and gave workshops and clinics throughout the United States and abroad. Among the guitarists influenced by his teaching were Peter Bernstein, Roni Ben-Hur, and Paul Meyers. He continued teaching and mentoring younger musicians while maintaining his own performance career.
Bertoncini remained active as a performer well into his eighties, appearing at New York clubs and continuing to work with other musicians. He died on August 29, 2026, at the age of 89. Over the course of his career, he recorded and performed with some of the most important musicians and singers in jazz, while also establishing his own voice as a guitarist, arranger, soloist, and teacher. Gene Bertoncini’s career was built not around one particular style, but around a lifelong commitment to the guitar and to the music he could make with it.
Event venue & nearby stays
Saint Peter's Church, 619 Lexington Avenue, New York, United States
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