Gene Bertoncini, who has been referred to by critics and jazz buffs alike as “the Segovia of jazz” brings a holiday program to the Mainstay in Rock Hall, Maryland on Sunday December 9 at 4:00 pm. Admission is $15. For information and reservations call 410-639-9133. Information is also available at the Mainstay’s website https://www.mainstayrockhall.org.
In this solo holiday-themed show, Bertoncini applies his exquisite jazz improvisations and classical interpretations to a wide range of holiday classics and standards such as “The Holly and the Ivy,” “Winter Wonderland,” some Broadway show tunes and love songs for the holidays.
Bertoncini is a versatile guitarist with a storied career. He has been heard with an extraordinary range of jazz greats from Benny Goodman, Buddy Rich, Wayne Shorter and Paul Desmond to such distinguished singers as Tony Bennett, Lena Horne, Nancy Wilson, Vic Damone, and Eydie Gorme.
Mainstay founder and Director, Tom McHugh says “Gene Bertoncini personifies elegance, passion and wit. He is recognized as a “guitar player’s guitar player”.” According to the New Yorker magazine, “Bertoncini is an affecting, highly original guitarist that moves easily back and forth between classical and jazz guitar.”
The Washington Post once proclaimed a solo appearance in New York City “the best jazz concert of the year.” The Boston Herald said his playing “raises… soft, seductive jazz to new levels of grace and adventure,” and a Boston Globe headline read simply “Guitarist Bertoncini Dazzles.”
A popular studio musician, Bertoncini honed his professional chops as a member of the Tonight Show band during Johnny Carson’s tenure. He has worked with composers and arrangers such as Lalo Schifrin and Michael Legrand and has performed with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.
In addition to an active performing and recording schedule, Bertoncini teaches at the Eastman School of Music and William Patterson University. A New York City native, he graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a degree in architecture.
This concert is part of the Mainstay’s David Pike Memorial Jazz Series. Pike was a highly respected legal journalist who covered the Supreme Court. He caught the jazz bug early and by high school had 40 guitar students, was working at after-hours clubs in his home town of Cleveland and working at the Cleveland Press. He paid his way through college with journalism and jazz, but ultimately chose journalism as a career. He kept his guitar handy and became a very knowledgeable jazz fan with an impressive collection of recordings. In retirement, he again took up the guitar, playing for himself, improvising on the guitar while listening to radio or CD and at the Open Mic Night at Andy’s in Chestertown.
The Mainstay (Home of Musical Magic) is the friendly informal storefront performing arts center on Rock Hall’s old time Main Street. It is a 501(c)(3), non profit dedicated to the arts, serving Rock Hall, MD and the surrounding region. It is committed to presenting local, regional and national level talent, at a reasonable price, in an almost perfect acoustic setting. Wine, beer, sodas and snacks are available at the bar.
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