He began playing guitar when he was ten, switching to the electric bass (and later acoustic) when he was 14, performing rock, blues and finally jazz. He attended the Berklee College of Music and was soon freelancing in the Boston area. Gertz eventually became an educator himself, joining the faculty of Berklee. As a bassist, Gertz has worked regularly with Mick Goodrick, Mike Stern and George Garzone and has guested with many top artists including Gil Evans, Bob Berg, Charles McPherson, Tom Harrell, Joe Lovano, Bill Frisell, Lee Konitz and many others. He also toured with Billy Eckstine, Maynard Ferguson, Gary Burton, Dave Brubeck and Jerry Bergonzi. Bruce Gertz has led record sessions for the Freelance and Ram labels. ~ Scott Yanow