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Gene Bertoncini: Concerti
by Michael P. Gladstone
What could possibly be better than hearing guitarist extraordinaire Gene Bertoncini on Concerti? Simply, being ten feet away from the bandstand and viewing his quicksilver style of playing, astounding an appreciative audience. Bertoncini, over the course of several decades, has become an elder statesman plectrist, working in a number of settings--solo, duet, trio or larger ensembles. On Concierti , Bertoncini works with members of The Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, where he has been ...
read moreGene Bertoncini: Concerti
by Laurel Gross
At 70, guitarist Gene Bertoncini continues to make standards and classics breathe and shimmer, inviting listeners to experience them in new ways. On Concerti, his considerable skill at navigating a nylon-stringed guitar are complemented by a group of highly capable string players and clever arrangements, all crucial to this winning endeavor. Engineer Mark Conese deserves mention for the excellent sound quality of this recording, which he co-produced. Allying with strings is more than a gimmick or a ...
read moreGene Bertoncini: Concerti
by Dan McClenaghan
Concerti is twenty-six strings vibrating: A string quartet--two violins, a viola and a cello--with a bass added on the bottom end, fronted by the nylon-string acoustic guitar of Gene Bertoncini.A top notch guitarist who has taught for forty years at the Eastman School of Music, Bertoncini enlisted some of his colleagues from the school to arrange for the string section. The results are a buoyant and sweet mix of jazz sidling up to the classical side of sound.
read moreLeslie Pintchik: Quartets
by Jeff Dayton-Johnson
How to keep the exacting piano-trio format fresh sounding? Leslie Pintchik rises to that challenge by making the trio a quartet. Not one or many quartets, but two quartets. The strategy is a successful one.On five tracks, pianist Pintchik, bassist Scott Hardy and drummer Mark Dodge are joined by percussionist Satoshi Takeishi (the brother of trumpeter Cuong Vu's pile-driving bassist Stomu Takeishi; the mind reels at the thought of a Takeishi-Takeishi duet). The idea here is not so ...
read moreLeslie Pintchik: Quartets
by Virginia A. Schaefer
Both quartets on Quartets include pianist Leslie Pintchik, bassist Scott Hardy and drummer Mark Dodge. One quartet extends its percussion section with Satoshi Takeishi, who played drums and percussion on Pintchik's first release, So Glad to Be Here (Ambient Records, 2004). The other quartet features Steve Wilson on alto or soprano saxophone. A strength of this disc is its three standards, inventively arranged by Pintchik and Hardy. “Happy Days Are Here Again" moves at a stately pace, starting ...
read moreLeslie Pintchik: Quartets
by Michael P. Gladstone
For her second album, pianist Leslie Pintchik has chosen an unusual musical motif. While her debut, Glad to be Here (Ambient, 2004), featured a piano trio, Quartets presents two distinctly different ensembles: one with Pintchik, alongside percussionist Satoshi Takeishi, bassist Scott Hardy and drummer Mark Dodge; the other with alto/soprano saxophonist, Steve Wilson replacing Takeishi. The music of the two quartets is quite different: Wilson is the primary voice of the four songs--all written by Pintchik--on which he appears, making ...
read moreLeslie Pintchik: Quartets
by Christopher Shoe
Leslie Pintchik is a newer face on the jazz scene and Quartets is a respectable contribution that keeps in tide with her growing reputation. Pintchik's approach to jazz does not rely on flashy lines or complex chordal movement like many of her peers; instead, it focuses on strong improvised material backed by a solid group of musicians who both complement her and add their own voice when the time comes for them to solo. Quartets is no ...
read moreLeslie Pintchik: Quartets
by Dan McClenaghan
Pianist Leslie Pintchik, an adept interpreter of American Songbook classics and a composer of beautifully melodic tunes, emerged on the jazz scene in 2004 with the trio set So Glad to Be Here (Ambient Records). AAJer John Kelman, in his review of the disc, wrote of her inhabiting a “dangerously occupied middle ground, [with] a trick up her sleeve...Satoshi Takeishi."On Quartets Pintchik pulls Takeishi out of that sleeve again on five of the nine tracks, along with drummer ...
read moreGene Bertoncini: Quiet Now
by Donald Elfman
This disc and the one that prececeded it (Body and Soul, also on Ambient) are the most stunning solo guitar records ever recorded. Not only are Bertoncini's little arrangements spare and gorgeous, the sound space that producer/engineer Mark Conese has created for his artist makes everything the guitarist plays come to you with quiet, personal clarity. Sure, you've heard most of these tunes before, but Bertoncini and his producer have managed to make each and every one of them an ...
read moreGene Bertoncini: Quiet Now
by Jerry D'Souza
Playing solo jazz requires skill and dexterity--not just as a player, but also in selecting the tunes and keeping the listener's attention locked in. Gene Bertoncini balances his program on Quiet Now with standards, classical tunes, and a Brazilian piece. He keeps the going tight; the CD clocks in under 42 minutes, time enough to make a statement and leave behind a sense of fulfillment. This stems not only from the selections, which suit his gentle, laid back approach and ...
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