Guitarist Bertoncini Finds Inspiration in Architecture

If Gene Bertoncini’s solos seem carefully designed and built, perhaps it’s because the guitarist was trained as an architect.

“My attitude about performing for people was helped by the idea that, when an architect presents a project to a client, he presents a fairly complete picture,” says Bertoncini, 54, who graduated from Notre Dame with a degree in architecture in 1959 before launching a career as a studio and jazz musician. “An architect puts some study into a project and presents a concept, a working plan, sketches--he has a whole design in mind.

“The idea of presenting something that’s been worked out is part of my attitude, to have a concept in each thing I play, a beginning, an ending; to let the improvised part be the middle section, but to have an arrangement instead of a loose jam session.”

Bertoncini, who plays the Horton Grand Hotel in downtown San Diego this Friday and Saturday nights at 8:30, names Frank Lloyd Wright, Marcel Breuer and Eero Saarinen as his favorite architects.

During his late-1950s Notre Dame years, Bertoncini had the jazz market cornered in South Bend, playing jazz for all kinds of campus social occasions.

After graduation, he backed singer Carmen McRae in Chicago, and in New York beginning in the 1960s (he still lives there), he played with Benny Goodman, Buddy Rich, Wayne Shorter, Hubert Laws, Clark Terry and a host of others, as well as in Merv Griffin’s and Johnny Carson’s television show bands.

Bertoncini has recorded only four albums as a leader. Since the mid-1980s, he has concentrated on his duos with New York bassist Michael Moore. Their newest recording, “Two in Time,” came out last year.

Bertoncini splits his time between a nylon-stringed classical guitar and electric jazz guitar, and his sets are likely to include jazz and popular standards alongside Bach and even some Brazilian music.

In San Diego, Bertoncini will be in his favored bass-guitar duo format, in this case with Los Angeles bassist John Clayton. Bertoncini finds such duos stimulating and difficult.

“The attitude of having a guitar lead a group or duo demands that you plan things--back to that whole sense of architecture,” he says. “It’s very difficult to pull something off just with guitar and bass, unless you incorporate the entire ranges of possibility on the instruments. In order to get the best effect, the music has to be carefully designed.”

Former Tower of Power saxophonist Richard Elliot’s new recording, “On the Town” is a big hit with KIFM (98.1). Since the station received its copy four weeks ago, it has added 10 of the 12 songs to regular rotation. Other artists receiving ample airtime are saxophonist Dave Koz and Fourplay, an all-star band including Bob James, Lee Ritenour, Harvey Mason and former San Diegan Nathan East. Meanwhile, the station remains uninterested in jazz, blues or any other music that departs from its mild pop-jazz format, even if produced by pop-jazz’s reigning stars. A new straight-ahead jazz recording by saxophonist David Sanborn is getting no play, and KIFM Music Director Tony Schondel said he doubts whether guitarist Larry Carlton’s new rock-blues album, expected early next year, will make it on KIFM.

RIFFS: Camille Armstrong, leader of the jazz and pop band Camille’s Ca-Motion, is trying new business tactics: She has taken out an ad in the Reader, promoting current gigs. “The Christmas season is coming up and private parties, so I wanted to get some exposure,” she explained. “There’s no way for people to contact bands other than through agents, and they charge $1,500 for private parties and pay the band $5, know what I’m saying?” Armstrong spends $150 for each 3-by-3-inch ad. Her band plays the Del Mar Hilton this Wednesday through Saturday nights. . . .

KPBS-TV will premiere a new “Club Date” program featuring hot young trombonist Ray Anderson this Wednesday night at 10:30. The show was taped last May, when Anderson was in town to play Elario’s. . . .

Elliott Lawrence pulls some jazz gymnastics this Thursday night from 6 to 10 at Jazz by the Way in Rancho Bernardo. He sings as a plays a special drum kit in a standing position. Lawrence, the frequent house musician on weekends at La Casa del Zorro resort in Borrego Springs, will play Jazz by the Way every Thursday evening this month, joined by Eric Dreise on keyboards and Jay Jorgenson on bass. . . .

Espresso Literati, the bookstore-record store-jazz coffeehouse in La Jolla (7660 Fay Ave.), adds Thursday evening jazz beginning this Wednesday night (Oct. 2) with saxophonist Joe Marillo. . . .

Guitarist Hank Easton concludes a three-week string of Wednesday evenings at Elario’s with his new band this Wednesday night (Oct. 2) beginning at 8:30. Easton, who also appears Saturday nights through October at the 94th Aero Squadron on Balboa Avenue, has been working out new material written by him and saxophonist Reggie Smith.

CRITIC’S CHOICE: LITTLE BIG BAND SOUND

Several of San Diego’s top jazz musicians have banded together for the past year or so in an all-star crew called the Shep Meyers Little Big Band. Led by pianist Meyers, the eight-member ensemble appears tonight and the next two Tuesday nights from 8:30 to 12:15 at La Costa Resort and Spa.

Besides Meyers, the group includes multi-horn man Flip Oakes, saxophonist Anthony Ortega (who also sings a few tunes), trombonist Kevin Quail (a frequent collaborator with Charles McPherson), guitarist James Irelan, bassist Dave Marr, drummer Ron Ogden and singer Cath Eckert. Ortega belts out tunes such as “Tangerine” and “I Can’t Get Started,” and the band leans heavily on Basie, Ellington and other prime Big Band material.

Meanwhile, drummer Barry Farrar’s Trio has added Del Mar vocalist Jan Tober to its Wednesday-through-Friday happy hour dates (5:30 to 7:30) at the Embassy Suites Hotel on La Jolla Village Drive. Tober, a veteran of stints with Stan Kenton (early 1960s) and Benny Goodman (late 1960s), has recently dusted off her pipes and started singing in clubs again.

Astute, longtime jazz fans may recognize Tober from her appearances on TV weatherman Bob Dale’s television variety show from 1968 to 1970. You can hear Tober on “Back to the Rendezvous,” a re-release on CD of a Kenton album. She also sings the love theme for the new “Killer Tomatoes” movie, “Killer Tomatoes Eat France,” due in January.