Larry Coryell and Emily Remler's Charlottesville Sessions In
the mid 80's a unique listening opportunity descended on the jazz
lovers of Charlottesville Virginia. Larry Coryell and Emily Remler
stayed in Charlottesvile for a short time in order to develop material
for a album
that they planned. They held spontaneous sessions at a local
watering hole, often with no announcement. They did not introduce
themselves when onstage, but did introduce the "sitters,"
those local musicians who often sat in with them.
This sometimes led to rather unusual audience dynamics. The bar was
popular with University students, who frequently hadn't got the word
on who was playing. Sometimes they would play "quarters"
loudly and ignore the activity on stage. Once I overheard the following.
"Hey, who are these people, anyway? Not bad, for locals."
These sessions were rich and we listeners felt rich beyond anything
we deserved. The mood swung everywhere: there were feisty moments
when things didn't click. Sometimes someone walked off stage. It was a rare opportunity to see two musicians putting together the material for an album, live.
There is a great sadness in this story, though. Emily Remler died of a heart attack unexpectedly some 8 years later, on tour in Australia. John D'Earth (Trumpet), Robert Jospe (Drums) and a number of local guitarists (including Tim Reynolds, who later played with Dave Matthews) and guitar students sat in during these sessions.
© 1999, photographs and text
by Ed Deasy |
