Gene Bertoncini

Gene Bertoncini, a jazz guitarist known for bringing the nylon-string acoustic guitar into swing, standards, and Brazilian music, died August 29 in Englewood, New Jersey. He was 89.

A New York native who studied architecture before making music his full-time profession, Bertoncini worked with Benny Goodman, Buddy Rich, Tony Bennett, and Lena Horne, and played in the New York-based Tonight Show orchestra. He recorded extensively, both as a sideman and as a leader. His guitar-and-bass partnership with Michael Moore became a particularly enduring part of his career; he was also a solo performer and longtime teacher. He remained active late in life and played a set for fellow residents of the Lillian Booth Actors Home on the day he died.