the Unforgettable Journey of Emily Remler: A Jazz Guitar Legend Lost Too Soon
“Starting out was incredibly challenging. you have to consistently prove your worth, often playing better than your male counterparts. But you can’t let that scare you,” reflected the talented jazz guitarist Emily Remler in an interview with Guitar World. And prove herself she certainly did.
By her early twenties, Remler had already honed her skills at the esteemed Berklee College of Music and performed in various blues and jazz venues across New Orleans.
She took a meaningful leap in her career with the release of two albums under the renowned Concord label: Firefly in 1981 and Take Two in 1982.
Education and Early Influences
“Berklee didn’t prepare me for playing with bands like Little Queenie and the Percolators, but it did provide me with a solid foundation in harmony and reading music,” she shared with guitar World in January 1983.
“I could improvise over a piece without hearing it first, simply by understanding the concepts. However, I didn’t learn how to infuse my playing with emotion-that’s something you discover on your own.”
As Guitar World noted during her performance at New York’s iconic Blue Note leading up to her second album, Remler discussed her diverse musical influences. while she was heavily inspired by jazz legends like Wes Montgomery and Barney Kessel, she also drew from the world of rock, especially the innovative sounds of Jimi Hendrix.
Musical Evolution
“This summer, I was listening to The Essential Jimi hendrix on cassette while relaxing on the beach in Jamaica. Hendrix was phenomenal; he was blending singing with scat long before [George] Benson,” she remarked.
“Someone once told me I sounded like Hendrix,” she added nonchalantly.
While her sound was distinctly her own, Remler’s fearless approach to the guitar and her ability to merge genres echoed Hendrix’s spirit.
“I’ve been playing for a decade,” she explained. “I began with folk music, like many do. But I realized I had a knack for mimicking rock solos and saxophone riffs, something my friends struggled with.”
“I then ventured into rock music-artists like Johnny winter, Hendrix, and the Rolling Stones. At that time,I wasn’t particularly fond of jazz; it just didn’t resonate with me.”
“However, at Berklee, I couldn’t escape jazz.The moment I heard Pat Martino and Wes Montgomery, I felt an immediate spark. I switched to jazz in my first year.”
A Lasting Legacy
remler’s passion for music continued to shine until 1990. After parting ways with Concord and signing with Justice Records, she recorded This Is Me, which would ultimately be her final album.
This album marked a significant shift in her artistic direction, showcasing a more experimental and unique voice that ventured into electric jazz-pop.
Tragically, Remler never witnessed the release of this album. She passed away at the young age of 32 due to heart failure while on tour in Australia,after battling addiction to heroin and dilaudid.
In 2024, 34 years after her untimely death, producer Zev Feldman, along with Bill Milkowski and George Klabin, honored her memory with the posthumous live album Cookin’ at the Queens: Live in Las Vegas 1984 & 1988.
This album provides a rare glimpse into the live performances of a groundbreaking guitarist whose impact on music continues to resonate.
