THE RAY BROWN TRIO — Soular Energy (1985) Two Version | Concord Jazz – CCD-4268 + 2013, SACD · Hybrid | APE (image+.cue), lossless + FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This album is important as an early milestone in pianist Gene Harris' second career. Harris, who had led the popular Three Sounds in the 1960s, had been living in obscurity in Boise, ID, for several years before he was urged by bassist Ray Brown to come to the West Coast for some recording sessions. Harris became a permanent member of Brown's regular trio for quite a few years before launching his own quartet. He had lost none of his technique, soul, or swing in the interim, as he shows throughout this fine release. Seven of the eight numbers (highlighted by "Exactly Like You," "Teach Me Tonight," and "Sweet Georgia Brown") feature Brown, Harris, and drummer Gerryck King playing soulful bop, while "Mistreated But Undefeated Blues" adds guitarist Emily Remler and the tenor of Red Holloway. An excellent effort. Scott Yanow   Tracklist & Credits :

EMILY REMLER – Firefly (1981-1992) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

It sounds very clichéd to say that many of music's best and brightest have lived fast and died young, but it is so true. From Jimi Hendrix to Charlie Parker to Patsy Cline, the 20th century was full of talented artists whose lives were cut short by their self-destructive ways. In an ideal world, Emily Remler would have had a very long career and made it to seventy or eighty; instead, the guitarist used heroin and died of a heart attack at 32. Firefly was Remler's first album as a leader, and it is a promising debut. Joined by pianist Hank Jones, bassist Bob Maize, and drummer Jake Hanna, a 24-year-old Remler delivers an enjoyable hard bop date. The album isn't groundbreaking by early-'80s standards -- although Firefly was recorded in 1981, it sounds like it could have been recorded in 1961. But there is no law stating that every young jazz musician who comes along has to reinvent the wheel, and Remler (whose influences include Wes Montgomery and Herb Ellis) brings a lot of potential to lively, swinging performances of Horace Silver's "Strollin'," McCoy Tyner's "Inception," and Montgomery's "Movin' Along." The New Jersey native also provides two original tunes ("Perk's Blues" and "The Firefly") and pleasantly surprises listeners by unearthing a pretty but lesser-known Antonio Carlos Jobim song titled "Look to the Sky." Unlike "The Girl From Ipanema," "Corcovado," or "One Note Samba," "Look to the Sky" is far from a standard; however, Remler's heartfelt interpretation demonstrates that the Jobim melody deserves to be much better known. With Firefly, Remler's recording career was off to an appealing start -- a career that should have been much, much longer. Alex Henderson  
Tracklist :
1     Strollin' 5:29
Horace Silver
2     Look to the Sky 5:23
Antônio Carlos Jobim
3     Perk's Blues 4:06
Emily Remler
4     The Firefly 4:05
Emily Remler
5     Movin' Along 5:30
Wes Montgomery
6     A Taste of Honey 2:09
Ric Marlow / Bobby Scott
7     Inception 5:09
McCoy Tyner
8     In a Sentimental Mood 7:48
Duke Ellington / Manny Kurtz / Irving Mills
Credits :
Bass – Bob Maize
Drums – Jake Hanna
Guitar – Emily Remler
Piano – Hank Jones

THE EMILY REMLER QUARTET - Take Two (1982) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Emily Remler's second recording as a leader finds the 24-year-old guitarist still very much playing in the Wes Montgomery vein, although showing her own musical personality here and there. She is joined by pianist James Williams, bassist Don Thompson, and drummer Terry Clarke on a challenging set of material filled with obscurities. Certainly such numbers as Cannonball Adderley's "Cannonball," Dexter Gordon's "For Regulars Only," McCoy Tyner's "Search for Peace," and Monty Alexander's "Eleuthra" are rarely performed. Better known are "In Your Own Sweet Way" and "Afro Blue"; Remler also contributes two originals. Throughout the date the guitarist displays a great deal of potential, much of which would sadly go unrealized due to her early death. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :    
1     Cannonball 4:48
Cannonball Adderley
2     In Your Own Sweet Way 4:52
Dave Brubeck
3     For Regulars Only 6:43
Dexter Gordon
4     Search for Peace 5:17
McCoy Tyner
5     Pocket Wes 6:45
Emily Remler
6     Waltz for My Grandfather 6:35
Emily Remler
7     Afro Blue 2:24
Mongo Santamaria
8     Eleuthra 6:20
Monty Alexander
Credits :
Bass – Don Thompson
Drums – Terry Clarke
Guitar – Emily Remler
Piano – James Williams

EMILY REMLER - Transitions (1984) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Guitarist Emily Remler's third Concord recording was a strong step forward, as she started to really get away from her early Wes Montgomery/Herb Ellis influence and find a voice of her own. Rather than a standard piano-bass-drums trio, Remler teams up with trumpeter John D'Earth, bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Bob Moses. Her three originals are challenging, and the quartet also performs Sam Jones' swinging "Del Sasser," Duke Ellington's lesser-known "Searchin'" and Keith Jarrett's "Coral." Throughout, Remler shows that her future lay beyond straight-ahead bebop, although as it turned out, she would not live long enough to be as influential as she would have been. All in all, this is one of the strongest of the six Emily Remler Concord recordings. by Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     Nunca Mais 4:56
Emily Remler
2     Searchin' 6:08
Steve Allen / Duke Ellington
3     Transitions 7:56
Emily Remler
4     Del Sasser 6:44
Sam Jones / Donald Wolf
5     Coral 6:07
Keith Jarrett
6     Ode to Mali 4:41
Emily Remler
Credits :
Bass – Eddie Gomez
Drums – Bob Moses
Guitar – Emily Remler
Trumpet – John D'Earth

EMILY REMLER - Catwalk (1985) APE (image+.cue), lossless

Guitarist Emily Remler's fourth and Concord recording makes one regret even more her premature death at age 32. While her earlier dates were very much in the bop mainstream, this one (in a quartet with trumpeter John D'Earth, bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Bob Moses) finds her looking ahead and partly finding her own voice on her seven diverse originals. Although she never became an innovator, Remler certainly had a lot to offer the jazz world and this fairly adventurous effort was one of the finest recordings of her short career. by Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     Mocha Spice 4:26
Emily Remler
2     Catwalk 7:19
Emily Remler
3     Gwendolyn 4:35
Emily Remler
4     Antonio 4:25
Emily Remler
5     Pedals 6:54
Emily Remler
6     Five Years 5:48
Emily Remler
7     Mozambique 7:44
Emily Remler
Credits :
Bass – Eddie Gomez
Guitar – Emily Remler
Percussion – Bob Moses
Trumpet – John D'Earth

LARRY CORYELL / EMILY REMLER - Together (1985) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This interesting and one-time matchup features Larry Coryell and Emily Remler on a set of guitar duets. It is easy to tell the two players apart, yet their styles were quite complementary. Highlights of the date (which has four standards, Pat Martino's "Gerri's Blues," and two Coryell originals) include "Joy Spring," "How My Heart Sings" and "How Insensitive." by Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     Arubian Nights 5:50
Larry Coryell
2     Joy Spring 5:44
Clifford Brown
3     Ill Wind 6:27
Harold Arlen / Ted Koehler
4     How My Heart Sings 5:43
Earl Zindars
5     Six Beats, Six Strings 6:57
Larry Coryell
6     Gerri's Blues 5:29
Pat Martino
7     How Insensitive 8:27
Norman Gimbel / Antônio Carlos Jobim
Credits :
Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar – Emily Remler, Larry Coryell

EMILY REMLER - East to Wes (1988) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The late guitarist's last CD to be released before her premature death is her finest effort. Emily Remler's fluid technique brightens such seldom-heard numbers as Clifford Brown's "Daahoud" and her simplified arrangement of Claude Thornhill's lovely "Snowfall," as well as more relaxed tunes like "Sweet Georgia Fame." The polished rhythm section includes the masterful pianist Hank Jones, bassist Buster Williams, and drummer Marvin "Smitty" Smith. Highly recommended. by Ken Dryden
Tracklist :
1     Daahoud 5:19
Clifford Brown
2     Snowfall 6:39
Claude Thornhill
3     Hot House 5:45
Tadd Dameron
4     Sweet Georgie Fame 5:38
Blossom Dearie / Sandra Harris
5     Ballad for a Music Box 7:25
Emily Remler
6     Blues for Herb 6:26
Emily Remler
7     Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise 8:14
Oscar Hammerstein II / Sigmund Romberg
8     East to Wes 6:12
Emily Remler
Credits :
Bass – Buster Williams
Drums – Marvin "Smitty" Smith
Guitar – Emily Remler
Piano – Hank Jones

EMILY REMLER - This Is Me (1990) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Emily Remler's first -- and tragically, her last -- excursion into electric jazz-pop indicates that she could have become a strong force in that area had she not died. Though Remler's Concord recordings earned her a great deal of respect in hard bop circles, she felt limited creatively and was quite anxious to experiment in the electric realm. On her final session, This Is Me, the guitarist incorporates pop and rock elements on her own terms -- maintaining her musical integrity and avoiding radio-oriented smooth jazz drivel altogether. What remains constant is the warm and lyrical nature of her playing. While the influence of Wes Montgomery and Herb Ellis remains, some of these pieces indicate that she was paying close attention to Pat Metheny. by Alex Henderson
Tracklist :
1     Deep in Tune 5:24
Written, Arranged By – David Benoit, Emily Remler
2     Majestic Dance 4:49
Arranged By – Bill O'Connell, Emily Remler
Written-By – Emily Remler
3     "E" Samba 6:15
Arranged By – Bill O'Connell, Emily Remler
Written-By – Emily Remler
4     Love Colors 4:50
Written, Arranged By – David Benoit
5     Dark Passage 4:46
Arranged By – Aydın Esen, Emily Remler
Written-By – Emily Remler
6     You Know What I'm Saying 4:51
Arranged By – Aydın Esen
Written-By – Emily Remler
7     Song for Maggie 5:37
Written, Arranged By – Emily Remler
8     Around the Bend 5:11
Arranged By – Emily Remler, Russ Freeman
Written-By – Emily Remler
9     Carenia 6:18
Arranged By – Bill O'Connell, Emily Remler
Written-By – Emily Remler
10     Simplicidaje 4:53
Arranged By – Bill O'Connell, Emily Remler
Mixed By – Paul Wickliffe
Written-By – Emily Remler
11     Second Childhood 3:24
Written, Arranged By – Emily Remler
Credits :
Acoustic Guitar – Romero Lubambo (faixas: 9, 10)
Bass – Jimmy Johnson (faixas: 1, 4), Lincoln Goines (faixas: 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10)
Drums – Daduka Fonseca (faixas: 9, 10), Jeff Porcaro (faixas: 1, 4), Ricky Sebastian (faixas: 2, 3, 5, 7)
Guitar – Emily Remler (faixas: 1-9, 11)
Guitar Synthesizer – Emily Remler (faixas: 10)
Keyboards – David Benoit (faixas: 1, 4)
Keyboards, Piano – Aydın Esen (faixas: 5)
Keyboards, Programmed By – Russ Freeman (faixas: 8)
Percussion – "Cafe" (faixas: 2, 3, 9, 10), Jay Ashby (faixas: 2), Jeffrey Weber (faixas: 1, 4), Luis Conte (faixas: 1, 4, 6, 8, 11)
Piano – Bill O'Connell (faixas: 2, 3, 7, 9, 10)
Trombone – Jay Ashby (faixas: 3, 5, 7, 9, 10)
Vocals – Maúcha Adnet (faixas: 10)