Gene Bertoncini (born April 6, 1937, in the Bronx, New York City; died August 30, 2026) was an American jazz guitarist (acoustic guitar) and composer.

Bertoncini began playing the guitar at the age of nine and held a degree in architecture from the University of Notre Dame. He was a member of the *Tonight Show* band under Johnny Carson and the house bands for Merv Griffin and Skitch Henderson, and worked extensively as a studio musician.

He performed with artists such as Benny Goodman, Buddy Rich (playing in his band during the 1960s), Wayne Shorter, Hubert Laws, Clark Terry, Mike Mainieri, and Paul Desmond; accompanied Tony Bennett, Lena Horne, Vic Damone, Nancy Wilson, Melissa Stylianou, and Eydie Gormé; and was even accompanied by the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra during a concert.

Bertoncini also performed as a soloist and played for many years in a duo with bassist Michael Moore; from 1982 to 1989, they performed every Sunday at "Zinno" in Greenwich Village before Moore moved to India. Bertoncini played the nylon-string acoustic guitar and rarely used an amplifier. In addition to jazz standards and classical adaptations, he frequently improvised on South American compositions, particularly those by Antônio Carlos Jobim.

He released several CDs, including a trio album with Bill Charlap and Sean Smith, solo albums such as *Someone to Light Up My Life*, *Acoustic Romance*, and *Quiet Now*, and the duo album *East Meets West* with Kenny Poole. Bertoncini taught at the Eastman School of Music and William Paterson University. From 1990 to 2008, he performed regularly on Mondays and Thursdays at La Madeleine in New York (on 43rd Street).

He also appears on Rebecca Kilgore's album *Rebecca Kilgore with the Keith Ingham Sextet* (2001). In 2008, he performed in a duo with Bucky Pizzarelli, among others. In 2003, he toured Germany with guitarists Mundell Lowe and John Pisano.

Gene Bertoncini and Michael Moore - Pavane (Jazz) (Classical) (1977)

Gene Bertoncini - "A Medley of Standards"

 

R.I.P