Reviews
Gene Bertoncini: Acoustic Romance
(Sons of Sound/King SSPCD016)
 3
and one-half stars: "If
you've followed jazz long enough, by now you've
discovered musicians who don't record for Blue
Note, Verve or other major labels and whose names
don't show up in critics' or listeners' polls,
but who simply knock you out
and make you want to hear them over and over again.
I hope for some of you that's happened with a guitarist
named Gene Bertoncini, whose playing (on classical
and nylon string here) is sublime
and swinging, so much so that it wouldn't be an
exaggeration to say that his melodicism, harmonic
sophistication, delicate touch, gorgeous sound
and overall taste and sensitivity remind you of
his great fellow guitarist Jim Hall." [read
the review]
— Pittsburgh Post-Gazette , February 2004
"Acoustic Romance… finds
Bertoncini rendering elegant lines with an architectural
sensitivity… Bertoncini
respectfully adds his own facades to venerable
older structures. The guitarist's improvisations
are at once breezy and profound, and each one
follows a very satisfying trajectory." [read
the review]
— Guitar One , January 2004
"…a trio date with the crack
rhythm team of bassist Rufus Reid and
drummer Akira Tana… Bertoncini
is delightfully delicate throughout, both due
to his measured delivery and the attraction of
this instrument's timbre… As
this is a leisurely paced date, good
natured Swing carries the day… This
is Bertoncini's show and that's fine with Tana
and Reid, who make a sympathetic team. They coax
and assist Bertoncini on almost every track,
stirred by Reid's confident basslines and Tana's
supple thrythmic flow. Tana, in particular,
consistently displays his skilled brushwork.
There are several worthy Latinized moments, particularly
on the midtempo pulse of "Invitation." A
record like this is about subtlety, where the
joys are found in the mood and solid technical
abilities of the musicians." [read
the review]
— Cadence, January 2004
"Veteran guitar master Bertoncini
is at full powers in this wonderful trio set. Joined
by Akira Tana on drums, and Rufus Reid on bass,
this is a tasty set… Gene
really shows off his chops… The beautiful
thing about his playing is it's very melodic, but
still full of ideas.
Bertoncini's instrument of choice is the nylon-string
guitar which also helps set him apart a bit. The
sound is soft where it needs to be, but when
he swings, it lets him really fly…
It's a definite mood setter in that it's very
quiet. But, it's never boring. Each
tune, most which you'll be familiar with, takes
interesting turns." [read
the review]
— Vintage Guitar , April 2004
"One of the finest
players among this discerning breed [of
acoustic nylon-string guitarists] is
Gene Bertoncini, whose command of harmony and
texture can transform even the most mundane tune
into an intriguing, multidimensional masterpiece,
something he does with certainty on Acoustic
Romance …. Lurking
behind Acoustic Romance's schmaltzy
title and 60s-era graphics are some serious solo
guitar and trio performances (with bassist
Rufus Reid and drummer Akira Tana), recorded
in 1992. In the former category, "Edelweiss" and "'Round
Midnight" undergo a series of brilliant
variations that encompass details like varied
textures and sublime reharmonization… Beautiful
work from one of the guitar's greatest underhailed
players." [read
the review]
— JazzTimes, February 2004
"Guitarist extraordinare Gene Bertoncini
wows, soothes and swings his way through eleven
gorgeous jazz classics on Acoustic Romance,
strumming, picking, running up and down the neck
of his nylon-string acoustic guitar with the
intricate multi-layered stylings true to his
architectural training… While it can be
said that the world doesn’t
need another guitar trio record, this one is an
exception for many reasons: from the elaborate
reharmonizing of “Edelweiss” to the
snappy “Invitation,” Bertoncini,
along with the masterful bassist Rufus Reid and
the equally inventive drummer Akira Tana, succeeds
in making all of these standards sound like his
own… a truly lovely hour-long
journey." [read
the review]
— All About Jazz, November 2003
"Few jazz musicians have devoted themselves
to acoustic guitar, but Gene Bertoncini is a
happy exception… His
lyricism is especially evident in his solo interpretations…
The intimate sound throughout this
studio session also helps to make it an
essential purchase for fans of jazz guitar." [read
the review]
— Chattanooga Times Free Press, September 2003
"Gene Bertoncini is
a master of the acoustic guitar, and
his use of jazz motifs blended with innovative
contemporary jazz makes him one
of the finest guitarists to perform the American
Songbook. Accompanied by gifted performers
Akira Tana on drums and Rufus Reid on bass, Gene
Bertoncini brings to the jazz listening audience
a fine collection of songs… Jazz fans will find favor
with this collection for many different reasons. The
performances are crisp, enjoyable, and entertaining.
This is jazz acoustic guitar at its best. "Edelweiss" is
an example of Bertoncini at his finest." [read
the review]
— Jazz Review,
September 2003
"Some album titles are either wildly inappropriate
or pointless, leaving the listener to wonder, "What,
in God's name, does that title have to do with
this music?" Others, however, hit the nail
on the head; Acoustic Romance is
a perfect title for this CD because Gene Bertoncini sticks
to the acoustic guitar (although he is equally
appealing on the electric version) and does, in
fact, favor a romantic approach throughout the
album… Bertoncini
is such a warm and expressive soloist.
All things considered, Acoustic Romance is an enjoyable,
if predictable, addition to his catalog." [read
the review]
— Barnes and Noble,
September 2003
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