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Review by David R. Adler @ allmusic.com
There aren't a great many exponents of nylon-string acoustic jazz guitar, but Gene Bertoncini, one of the true masters, belongs near the top of the list. On this exquisite solo album, the veteran guitarist is recorded via a technology called Direct Stream Digital. Without going into cumbersome details, what this means is unparalleled sound quality, giving a glass-like sheen to Bertoncini's musical thoughts. It must be said, however, that Bertoncini would sound great recorded in far less ideal circumstances. His arrangements combine the unlimited possibilities of jazz reharmonization with the rigors of legit classical guitar technique, resulting in highly individual reworkings of great standards. The title track becomes a landscape of dark clusters and dissonance, while in parts of "My Funny Valentine" and "Greensleeves," the melody occurs in the low register, framed by high-register chords and patterns -- not something you're likely to hear from even the best electric jazz guitarist. Bertoncini even makes lesser showtunes like "Edelweiss" and "How Are Things in Glocca Morra" sound like mini-symphonies.

Track List
01. The Shadow of Your Smile
02. My Funny Valentine
03. How Are Things in Glocca Morra
04. Body and Soul
05. Edelweiss
06. Round Midnight
07. Stardust
08. But Beautiful
09. I Remember You
10. Greensleeves
11. Cavatina
12. Sophisitcated Lady
13. Snowfall

I had already tested the links before I posted the album with "Internet Download Manager". If you fail to download all mp3s on this blog, you should try it conventionally through "Save Target As.." for Explorer users or "Save Link As.." for Firefox users. If the problem persists, links are invalid.

• All mp3s on this site are not on our server, we only found them by search engine. So, don't ask if they became invalid.
• Although you can have all these mp3s for free, I still recommend you to buy the original CD. I do buy the original CD.
• All credits go to original uploader...

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