Remembering the life and music of legendary jazz guitarist Emily Remler

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Emily’s place in the history of women jazz musicians.

You tell me.


When asked how she would like to be remembered, she responds:

Good compositions, memorable guitar playing and my contributions as a woman in music….
but the music is everything, and it has nothing to do with politics or the women’s liberation movement. You have to rise above it all by being good. You don’t get angry, you don’t get bitter, and you don’t get feminist about the situation. You get so damn good that they’ll forget about all that garbage.

This we knew about her, the selfless devotion to the music itself, it was never about doing it because of her gender, it was about doing to for the love of the music.

“Emily was a pioneer for all women guitar players. Her Spirit will stay with me, and I will often think of her as I enter the stage, pick up my guitar and play.”

~ Leni Stern

And this we also know about those before her:

There were many influential women who forged a way into the world of jazz with their voice, even a notable few that did it with a trumpet, piano , sax or drums but as rare as that was, the list of women who chose to pursue the wonder of jazz with guitar in hand is a very short list and
Mary Osborne is one of the first mentioned names you will cross.

Mary was fortunate enough to be given a few lessons by Charlie Christian himself, which makes her one of the very few women guitarists that can not only list him as an influence but a teacher as well. She was immediately taken by the sound of Christian, and recalls;

I had walked into the Dome Ballroom, where the Alphonso Trent Orchestra was playing, and heard what I took to be a tenor saxophone, I asked where the guitarist was at , then realized that the saxophone sound was coming from a crude amplifier attached to a guitar played by Charlie Christian. I was so inspired all I wanted to do was imitate him. From then on I had myself a mad little trio.

Mary was just in the right place at the right time and believed enough in what she could do and what she wanted to know. There is also a reference to Marian Gange, who played guitar around the same time, in an all female orchestra, but the most impressive woman player Miss Osborne can ever remember hearing was in Chicago in the late 30’s. They were jamming for warm up in one of the downtown theaters, and Mary remembers:

An older woman approached and asked, “Do you mind if I sit in?” I said okay and she got out the biggest Epiphone guitar I’ve ever seen. She didn’t look like a guitar player, but when she started to play, I was so surprised at how good she was that I started to laugh.

Her name was Sidney Bell and I’ve not seen her name mentioned or in print other than Mary’s recollection.

This was all taking place mid 1940’s through the 60’s, when she worked with some of the great names of the times: Coleman Hawkins, Dizzy Gillespie and Art Tatum, Mercer Ellington, and Mary Lou Williams.
Mary went on to form her own trio and also her own business the Osborne Guitar Company in Bakersfield, California where she lived and performed until her passing in 1992. Her recordings are mostly out of print and hard to find at reasonable prices but her A Memorial CD of her best is well worth having. Click Here to view her discography.

It seems there was an extended void of featured women guitar players in Jazz that Emily filled, and filled so gracefully, between the name of Mary Osborne and the growing list of really talented women jazz guitarists today: (Click names to learn more)

and all you beautiful ladies everywhere out there,
taking the lessons, putting in the time and passing it on.

For more information on women in jazz see these titles or websites:

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Timeline

1957 Born, Sept. 18th. Manhattan, NY. Raised in Englewood Cliffs, NJ.

1970-1973 Dwight Morrow H.S./ Boarding School in MA. Graduates at age 16.

1973-1975 Berklee School of Music. Studies with Larry Baione. Graduates at age 18.

1975-1979 Lived and worked in New Orleans. Performed with FourPlay, Little Queenie and the Percolators. Studies with Hank Mackie.

1978 Chance meeting with Herb Ellis, invited to play Concord Jazz Festival for 1st time.

1979 Moved back to NY. First recorded guest appearance, Clayton’s All In The Family.

1980 Plays Concord Jazz Festival, Kool-Newport Festival, Berlin Festival.

1981 Records 1st album as leader. Performs with Los Angeles production of Broadway hit, Sophisticated Ladies. Marries Jazz pianist Monty Alexander. Receives “Woman of The Year” award.

1982 Records second album as leader, Take Two.

1983 Produces 3rd album, Transitions, includes 3 original compositions. Tours Canada & Netherlands.

1984 4th album Catwalk is released. Guest appearance on Ray Brown’s, Soular Energy. Marriage to Alexander ends.

1985 Duo album Together, with Larry Coryell, released. Named ‘ Guitarist Of The Year’ by DownBeat Jazz Magazine’s international poll.

1986 Collaboration on Clooney’s Van Heusen cd, and Colianni’s self titled album. Produces lesson videos, Bebop & Swing Guitar and Advanced Latin & Jazz Improvisation.

1987 Records live album: Bossa International with Hank Crawford Quintet in France. Tours Europe and Asia.

1988 Records East To Wes, featured on No More Blues with McCorkle. Plays Las Vegas. Studies composition in NY with Aydin Esen. Lived in Pittsburgh, Artist in Residence at Duquesne University, studies Composition with Bob Brookmire.

1989 Last U.S. recordings as she appears on Benoit’s Waiting For Spring, and McCorkle’s acclaimed, Sabia, and one song for a homeless benefits album called Christmas Guitars. Tapes Jazz Master’s solo performance show started by Les Paul. Tours Australia and New Zealand.
Receives Berklee’s Distinguished Alumni award.

1990 Lost to us on tour in Sydney, Australia, May 4th.

1990 Final solo album, This Is Me released posthumously.