Tag: Gene Bertoncini

Title: Gene Bertoncini – Concerti (2008)
Genre: Jazz
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Of the many projects the great guitarist Gene Bertoncini has been involved in, the centerpiece of his style has always been focused on thoughtful discourse and romance. And nobody — nobody — plays the acoustic six-string nylon instrument better than Bertoncini within a jazz context. What brings Concerti into a different light is not just the addition of a string quartet with the very fine bassist David Finck and conductor Michael Patterson. The bonds these players enjoy are the wonderful charts by various arrangers from the Eastman School of Music, where Bertoncini is an instructor. Far from mere accompanists, the strings and their carefully crafted scores are interactive, channel elegantly between the lines of the guitarist and bassist, and produce an organic whole that charmingly blend and sing together. “East of the Sun” kicks off the program in typical fashion with Bertoncini and Finck up front and the strings laying back, but then the roles change on “You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To” as the strings play counterpointed lines encompassed by guitar solos, then they merge. A bossa nova version of “Eleanor Rigby” with strings playing insistent sharp bowed or plucked phrases under Bertoncini’s energetic quick lines verifies a really good idea in changing up this stoic Beatles tune. A strident take of “Every Time We Say Goodbye” has the violins, viola, and cello burst blooming, then clamped down ritarded, and a great take of the well-worn “Invitation” has new life from the bouncy string intro, leading to the calmed, familiar melody with Bertoncini in the background. There are two combo tunes; the solo guitar to bossa excerpt from Fryderyk Chopin’s “Prelude-Opus 28, #4” into Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “How Inensitive” with the strings as an afterthought, and the similarly rendered intro of Rodrigo’s “Conceirto De Aranjuez” melting into Chick Corea’s bright and happy “Spain.” At 13 minutes “Conceirto/Spain” encompasses the most ambitious and conservative selection, easily recognizable and populist, cool and flowing, slow then sped up, interactive and stretched so the musicians can let some improvisation come to the forefront. There’s also a waltz of regret “For Chet,” an original of Bertoncini assumedly in tribute to Chet Baker, with the strings wafting alongside Finck’s bowed bass. A truly exquisite, professionally executed, and solid musical effort, this album should not be dismissed on any level as simply old hat. Instead it should be embraced for the simple and true organ of beauty it is proud to be.

hraudio | allmusic | discogs

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Title: Gene Bertoncini – Body And Soul (1999) [Reissue 2004]
Genre: Jazz
Format: SACD ISO + DSF DSD64 + Hi-Res FLAC

Gene Bertoncini is one of the pre-eminent jazz guitarists active today. His fluid technique have won him international praise and such accolades as the “Segovia of jazz”. An eloquent and versatile improviser, has been heard with an extraordinary range of jazz greats, including performances and recordings with Benny Goodman, Buddy Rich, Wayne Shorter, Hubert Laws and Paul Desmond, among others, as well as with such distinguished vocalists as Tony Bennett, Carmen McRae and Lena Horne, Vic Damone and Edye Gorme. “Body and Soul” is Bertoncini’s first unaccompanied solo recording and his first recording for Ambient Records. This album represents the Jazz guitarist at his acoustic best. His playing works a tune from the inside, fully exploring its harmonic, melodic, and textural implications much like a classical composer develops an idea on paper. While most of the material here is exceedingly familiar (“The Shadow of Your Smile,” “Edelweiss,” “Greensleeves”) Bertoncini’s treatments transform each tune into a unique statement that is constantly changing.

There aren’t a great many exponents of nylon-string acoustic jazz guitar, but Gene Bertoncini, one of the true masters, belongs near the top of the list. On this exquisite solo album, the veteran guitarist is recorded via a technology called Direct Stream Digital. Without going into cumbersome details, what this means is unparalleled sound quality, giving a glass-like sheen to Bertoncini’s musical thoughts. It must be said, however, that Bertoncini would sound great recorded in far less ideal circumstances. His arrangements combine the unlimited possibilities of jazz reharmonization with the rigors of legit classical guitar technique, resulting in highly individual reworkings of great standards. The title track becomes a landscape of dark clusters and dissonance, while in parts of “My Funny Valentine” and “Greensleeves,” the melody occurs in the low register, framed by high-register chords and patterns – not something you’re likely to hear from even the best electric jazz guitarist. Bertoncini even makes lesser showtunes like “Edelweiss” and “How Are Things in Glocca Morra” sound like mini-symphonies.

hraudio | allmusic | discogs

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