Emily Remler

Emily Remler was born on September 18, 1957, in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, to a non-musical family. Her parents encouraged creative exploration from childhood. At age ten, she began playing guitar on her older brother’s Gibson ES-330. Remler taught herself folk and rock songs, inspired by Jimi Hendrix and Johnny Winter rather than jazz guitarists. She graduated from high school at sixteen planning to pursue graphic design. Unexpectedly, she gained admission to Berklee College of Music in Boston in 1976.

At Berklee, Remler’s musical direction shifted after hearing Paul Desmond and Pat Martino. She became obsessed with Wes Montgomery’s thumb-picking technique and octave work, transcribing his solos extensively. Her teachers considered her technically weak at graduation, but she worked rigorously with a metronome to overcome rhythmic deficiencies. This discipline developed the exceptional swing feel that became her signature. After Berklee, she relocated to New Orleans with guitarist Steve Masakowski and played in blues and jazz clubs. There she befriended Herb Ellis, the legendary guitarist who championed her and introduced her at the Concord Jazz Festival in 1978, leading to a recording contract with Concord Jazz.

Remler began her recording career at age 23 with Firefly (1981), recorded with pianist Hank Jones, bassist Bob Maize, and drummer Jake Hanna. The album established her reputation for fluent, swinging playing. She followed with Take Two (1982), Transitions (1983), and Catwalk (1984), each showcasing more original compositions and refined technique. In 1981, she married pianist Monty Alexander; the marriage lasted until 1984. Together (1985) with guitarist Larry Coryell explored post-bop territory. By 1985, she won Down Beat magazine’s Guitarist of the Year and performed at Carnegie Hall’s guitar festival. East to Wes (1988), an homage to Montgomery, represented her mature stylistic synthesis.

Remler left New York in 1986 to serve as artist in residence at Duquesne University and studied with trumpeter Bob Brookmeyer at the University of Pittsburgh. She sought therapy to address a longstanding opioid addiction. Her final leadership album, This Is Me (1990), was recorded for Justice Records. Remler died on May 4, 1990, in Sydney, Australia, at age 32, found dead in a hotel room while touring. The official cause was heart failure, though her substantial heroin and Dilaudid abuse almost certainly precipitated it. Two tribute albums, Just Friends Volumes 1 and 2 (1990–1991), featured Herb Ellis, David Benoit, and Bill O’Connell. She remains one of few prominent female jazz guitarists and is referenced in Leslie Gourse’s Madame Jazz and Musician magazine’s 100 greatest guitarists of the twentieth century.