Emily Remler: A Musical Remembrance

I took a so-called “master class” with her in the late 80s, when I was about 15. I put quotes around it because a lot of the people in the class, me included, were a long way from mastery. She was pretty patient with us . She was really impressive, and she inspired me to work harder (and taught me some slick stuff as well). Hard to believe she was almost 10 years younger then than I am now- she had a commanding presence when the guitar was in her hands.

I hadn’t realized that heroin was involved in her death- I always thought it was just one of those freak things. I remember seeing a quote from her about being, in reality, a heavyset black man, a la Wes. I wonder if the mystique she had around jazzmen of the past led her that way. Anyway, people of her calibre don’t come along that often. Such a shame that she died so young.

I met Emily in manhattan in the early eighties. I use to go to her apartment at west 25th st. I remember one time I was there and I was talking about Ted Greene and how much I liked his playing. She started telling me she was a friend of his and she had his phone number. She wanted me to call him up. I was reluctant but all of a sudden she called him up  and gave me the phone and I started talking to Ted about music. She was a call chick and a great guitar player and will be missed.

VINCE FILOGOMO