Emily Remler

Within the world of jazz guitar there are many influential and noteworthy artists. While researching female jazz guitarists one name was consistently repeated: Emily Remler. Despite only living to see 32 years she made a lasting impression on the jazz community.

Emily Remler was born in 1957 in New York City. She picked up the guitar at age 10 and enjoyed playing and was inspired by hard rock and popular music. It was not until she attended Berklee College of Music in Boston Massachusetts that she fell in love with Jazz. Upon graduation she moved to New Orleans where she worked as the house guitarist at the Fairmont Hotel and also played in several small groups. This helped her get noticed as she accompanied several big names like Nancy Wilson, Michel Legrang and Robert Goulet. After Herb Ellis heard her play he introduced her at the Concord Jazz Festival in 1978 and her career rose to a new height. In the next years she spent time touring and playing in small ensembles. She was first recorded as a band leader in 1980 with her album The Firefly. Her talents and interests spanned many genres of Jazz including bebop and latin jazz. In 1986 she created two instructional videos entitled Advanced Jazz and Latin Improvisation with Emily Remler and Bebop and Swing Guitar with Emily Remler. Unfortunately Remler suffered from heroin addiction. In 1990 she died of a heart attack in Australia, cutting her life and career much too short.

Discography

• The Firefly (Concord, 1981)
• Take Two (Concord, 1982)
• Transitions (Concord, 1983)
• Catwalk (Concord, 1985)
• with Larry Coryell Together (Concord Jazz, 1986)
• East to Wes (Concord, 1988)

Compilations

• Retrospective Vols. 1 & 2 (Concord Jazz, 1898)
• various artists Just Friends: A Gathering in Tribute to Emily Remler Vol. 2 (1992)
• This is Me (Justice 1992)

References:
http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com.er.lib.k-state.edu/subscriber/article/grove/music/J375300?q=emily+remler&search=quick&pos=1&_start=1#firsthit

http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com.er.lib.k-state.edu/subscriber/article/epm/23370?q=emily+remler&search=quick&pos=2&_start=1#firsthit

Critical Listening

This is Emily Remler's cover of Tenor Madness. The original is posted as well. This is an example of 12 bar blues. The A section repeats twice at the beginning for a 24 bar introduction. The guitar then takes over (the tenor saxophone in the case of Sonny Rollins' original with John Coltrane). The guitar plays several phrases that can be broken down into 6 12 bar phrases or 3 longer 24 bar sections which is how it feels to me. The piano then takes a solo followed by the guitar again. The A section repeats to close out the piece. The ensemble consists of a guitar, a bass guitar and piano and drums. In the case of the Sonny Rollins Quartet, the tenor sax takes the lead and is replaced by the guitar in Emily Remlers rendition. Her version is slightly faster and more upbeat than Sonny Rollins'. It moves quicker and is not as laid back. It is also cut shorter and does not cycle through as many soloistic guitar/saxophone sections.