Live Emily Remler?
Sean Kutzko
Howdy, all. did Emily Remler ever appear on any recording in a live
setting? Or, are there jazz tape collectors that have her in concert
somewhere? I'd really like to hear her in a live setting. The studio
stuff is great, but I just wonder what she was like live.
Sean Kutzko
Jeff Miller
I realize I'm just asking to be flooded with mail, but...
I shamelessly taped a concert when I was at Berklee of John Ambercrombie,
John Scofield, Emily Remler and Mick Goodrick playing as a guitar quartet.
The sound quality is fairly poor, and they all seem to get the same tone, so
it's hard to tell who is playing when.
The concerts were definately a highlight of Berklee.
--
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| |
| jmi...@terra.colostate.edu (Jeff Miller) | TERRA Systems Administrator |
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Thomas Ford Brown
I caught her live once, very early in her career. It was
probably January 1982, and she played McCabe's in LA with
Bob Maize on bass and Jimmie Smith on drums.
Her chops weren't yet as developed as they would become. I
recall that she was into a lot of pentatonic riffs with
a vaguely George Benson influence. When she moved to octave
soloing she really brought out the Wes Montgomery sound--as
most of us do.
I wasn't totally knocked out that night. She seemed a bit
nervous and restrained, but her sound was that of a competent
working pro. I wish I could have heard her five years later,
when she was really burning up that bebop stuff.
LarryG9
Brown) writes:
<stuff deleted>
I saw Emily live twice, both times when touring with Larry Coryell, when
he was in his "going back to his roots" phase, playing more mainstream
jazz stuff. He alternated between a huge mid-60s (sharp cutaway) Gibson
Super 400 and his custom Ovation. Emily switched between her Borys
and a similar Ovation.
I heard them at a small jazz/blues club in Fort Lauderdale called Cafe Exchange
(sadly, they do very little mainstream stuff now--it's either
blues or rock these days), in a very intimate setting. I nearly sat on the
stage. I later saw Stephane Grappelli and Marc Fosset at the same venue.
Anyhow, it was a wonderful show. It was just the two guitars, with
no rhythm section. They were both in terrific form. I think either her
parents or at least close relatives live in S. Florida, as she spent a lot
of time with an older group of people (60s-70s types). Bop reigned
supreme both evenings and the 60 minute set(s) ended much too quickly.
I'll always be grateful for the chance to see Emily live. When I think of it,
I always think at the same time what a waste it was for her to die so
young.
Larry Grinnell (Lar...@aol.com)
Thomas Ford Brown
In article <2pcpit$d...@search01.news.aol.com> lar...@aol.com (LarryG9) writes:
>
>I saw Emily live twice, both times when touring with Larry Coryell, when
>he was in his "going back to his roots" phase, playing more mainstream
>jazz stuff. He alternated between a huge mid-60s (sharp cutaway) Gibson
>Super 400 and his custom Ovation. Emily switched between her Borys
>and a similar Ovation.
I recently caught Coryell touring in support of his latest
release, and it was definitely very mainstream. He played
the same Gibson in a trio setting. It was a pickup band with
Herbie Lewis on bass, and a Bay Area drummer whose named I've forgotten.
They played Moment's Notice, Confirmation, a Bird blues,
and other standards. The only non-Real Book tune they did
was the last tune, which was Larry's duet with a taped
Wes playing Bumpin'. Oh, and they did a one-chord
funk tune also off the latest, I think a Marvin Gaye
or some other Motown. The last two tunes were with
the Ovation.
The album may suck ( I don't actually know if it sucks
or not--I just avoid anything with Don Sebesky's name on it),
but he still sounds good live.
Dan Adler
I'm not sure about live, but she has two instructional videos.
Ken McCarthy
>I just wonder what she was like live.
I heard her play at a bar in Soho (101 Grand or something like that) in
New York City in late 1983 or early 1984. Stanely Jordan who was
carless at the time talked me into giving him a ride up from Princeton.
He sat in with her.
I was pretty sloshed at the time and wasn't prepard to give her much
attention as I'd never heard of her, but she defintitely caught my
ear. I could have listened to her for days. Her playing was absolutely
beautiful and I was heartbroken when I learned she'd died.
Sam Hokin
>From: tomb...@cats.ucsc.edu (Thomas Ford Brown)
>Subject: Coryell live ( was Re: Live Emily Remler?
>Date: 25 Apr 1994 04:53:00 GMT
>They played Moment's Notice, Confirmation, a Bird blues,
>and other standards. The only non-Real Book tune they did
>was the last tune, which was Larry's duet with a taped
>Wes playing Bumpin'.
Whaaa? Is this DONE very often? I've seen this in rock, hip-hop, etc. but
never in jazz!!!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sam Hokin ho...@juno.physics.wisc.edu
Asst. Professor, Physics Tel: 608/263-0486
University of Wisconsin - Madison Fax: 608/262-7205
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sam Hokin
>Subject: Re: Live Emily Remler?
>Date: 23 Apr 1994 23:38:05 -0400
>I'll always be grateful for the chance to see Emily live. When I think of
>it, I always think at the same time what a waste it was for her to die so
>young.
>Larry Grinnell (Lar...@aol.com)
This thread is really sad. I've never heard her, but I will - what
recording do you recommend? May I be so rude as to ask how she died?
Thomas Ford Brown
In article <hokin.47...@juno.physics.wisc.edu> ho...@juno.physics.wisc.edu (Sam Hokin) writes:
>
>>I'll always be grateful for the chance to see Emily live. When I think of
>>it, I always think at the same time what a waste it was for her to die so
>>young.
>
>recording do you recommend? May I be so rude as to ask how she died?
There are two compilations available on Concord. Both
are well worthwhile. Avoid her last album, THIS IS ME.
It's WAVEish.
Apparently the publicized cause of death was heart failure,
but many who knew her believe she ODed on heroin.
Thomas Ford Brown
In article <hokin.48...@juno.physics.wisc.edu> ho...@juno.physics.wisc.edu (Sam Hokin) writes:
>>They played Moment's Notice, Confirmation, a Bird blues,
>>and other standards. The only non-Real Book tune they did
>>was the last tune, which was Larry's duet with a taped
>>Wes playing Bumpin'.
>
>Whaaa? Is this DONE very often? I've seen this in rock, hip-hop, etc. but
>never in jazz!!!
Well, this necrotapophilia was the centerpiece of his latest
album (blame Don Sebesky--for that and so much more...), so
I guess Larry felt compelled to do it live. It actually
worked okay. The soundman faded the tape after the head and
the trio jammed. I wasn't offended, although to me it seemed an
unnecessary and unproductive exercise.
John Dresslar
T>>setting? Or, are there jazz tape collectors that have her in concert
T>>somewhere? I'd really like to hear her in a live setting. The studio
T>>stuff is great, but I just wonder what she was like live.
T>I caught her live once, very early in her career. It was
T>probably January 1982, and she played McCabe's in LA with
T>Bob Maize on bass and Jimmie Smith on drums.
T>I wasn't totally knocked out that night. She seemed a bit
T>nervous and restrained, but her sound was that of a competent
T>working pro. I wish I could have heard her five years later,
T>when she was really burning up that bebop stuff.
I saw her live at Kimball's in San Francisco in about 1989. Your
description pretty much matches her performance then. She played only
about three long songs, without much rapport with the crowd. Very
competent, but she didn't take off. Part of it may be that it was the
early, yuppie dinner show crowd. Nervousness may well explain her
rather straightforward, non-explosive style. Ultimately, then, I
wouldn't expect that a live album would be all that different from or
superior to a studio production.
---
* CmpQwk 1.40m #605 * "Toto, I don't think we're in DOS anymore..."
John Dresslar
Christopher K. Koenigsberg
She "escaped" to Pittsburgh Pa. sometime around 1988 or so, perhaps to
dry out/sober up away from the N.Y. scene, or so rumors had it. A
friend said he was going to take guitar lessons from her, he's who I
heard the rumors from.
Anyway, I saw one of her first gigs in Pittsburgh, at a tiny club on
E. Carson St. on Pgh.'s SouthSide. She was playing bluesy & beboppy
stuff on her hollowbody electric, lots of Wes Montgomery octaves etc.,
with a couple of local cats as backup band, and she talked real tough
& cool and looked good too.
She seemed to like me, came over and talked for a while. My wife was
jealous :-) and Emily had some real suspicious Mafia-looking goons
following her, staying in the background, I really wondered who they
were!
I invited her to come to a Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble concert,
since I was on their Board of Directors at the time, and she accepted
the offer .... I was hanging around with avant-garde flutist Robert
Dick, he did a concert with the Pgh. New Music Ensemble, and Emily
Remler showed up so I let her in free as I'd promised, and introduced
her to Robert Dick and to the conductor/composer David Stock.
Then Emily invited Robert Dick to stop by and sit in with her at a
club later that night, or maybe the next night. He said he wasn't very
good at playing over changes but I think he did try anyway, I wasn't
there.
The next season, David Stock scheduled Emily to play guitar, as guest
soloist on a piece with the PNME, a concerto for electric guitar and
chamber orchestra. But she didn't show up for the gig! I think she had
moved back to N.Y. and gotten wasted again. The composer, Tim Brady of
Toronto, had to fill in at the last moment, and play the part himself.
This was shortly before she died.
Chris Koenigsberg
c...@uchicago.edu, cko...@midway.uchicago.edu
Ken McCarthy
. She seemed a bit
> T>nervous and restrained, but her sound was that of a competent
> T>working pro. I wish I could have heard her five years later,
> T>when she was really burning up that bebop stuff.
> I saw her live at Kimball's in San Francisco in about 1989. Your
> about three long songs, without much rapport with the crowd.
Ultimately, then, I
> wouldn't expect that a live album would be all that different from or
> superior to a studio production.
OK, two guys heard her on off nights. The one night I heard her, she
wasn't nervous at all and was having a great time and playing
beautifully.
Friends, girls in their 20s don't get to sit in with major players
on a fluke. This girl could *cook* and I'm sure she did on many,
many occasions. I'm glad I got to see one of them.
BTW, having seen *tons* of live jazz, most of it in NYC, it's my
experience that recordings are a mere shadow of the real thing.
You've got to sit with a band for hours,ideally over a couple of
days, in a place where people are listening,to fully appreciate how good
certain musicians really are.
Example, because I roomed with him in college and promoted his concerts
when he was getting started, I must have heard Stanley Jordan play
a few hundred times over a 7 year period. When he was into it, he could
peel the paint off walls. I have *never* heard that quality of
his playing on any of his recordings. I've heard quality stuff on his recs
but not that *particular* quality.
I saw Miles when he came out of years of hiding for a concert at
Avery Fisher. He played for about 15 minutes and was a total
a**hole - and I love his music! But that's where he was at at the
time and I was just delighted to see him in the flesh no matter what he
did. I brought a friend, who didn't know his music, and she was indignant.
"$25 - when $25 was a *lot* of money - for this crap! Who does this guy
think he is?" Well, it was an off night. *Nobody's* red hot every day. If
she judged him permanently on that one experience, I can only say I
feel sorry for her.
Last word: Emily was great. Period.
Jim McCrae
> I saw her live at Kimball's in San Francisco in about 1989. Your
>description pretty much matches her performance then. She played only
>about three long songs, without much rapport with the crowd. Very
>competent, but she didn't take off. Part of it may be that it was the
>early, yuppie dinner show crowd. Nervousness may well explain her
>rather straightforward, non-explosive style. Ultimately, then, I
>wouldn't expect that a live album would be all that different from or
>superior to a studio production.
>---
> * CmpQwk 1.40m #605 * "Toto, I don't think we're in DOS anymore..."
I saw her at what was possibly that same show, first show Friday night.
I had a perfect seat, about six feet from her and her amp, and I was impressed.
That night she sounded very much like she sounds on "East To Wes", her then
current Concord release. I thought she played great; definitely not outside
or overly emotive, but very solid and intelligent. BTW, "East To Wes" is a
fine album: Hank Jones on piano, Marvin Smitty Smith on drums, and I wanna
say Ray Brown on bass but I don't think that's right. I listen to that disc
a lot. I say check it out.
Jim McCrae, San Carlos by the SF Bay
Ken McCarthy
about Emily Remler's performance:
> very solid and intelligent
That's what impressed me about her too. There was absolutely no BS to
her playing the night I heard her. Very solid and a pleasure to listen
to. In her generation, she was a rare talent on guitar adn would have
been taken as a serious player in *any* era.