Cookin at The Queen＜限定盤＞

1990年5月4日に32歳で逝去したジャズ・ギターの名手、エミリー・レムラーによるライヴ録音。180g重量盤3LP。
1984年と1988年にラスベガスのKNPRで放送されたアラン・グラントの週間ラジオ番組「4クイーンズ・ジャズ・ナイト・フロム・ラスベガス」の一部として放送された、未発表のパフォーマンス集から厳選されたものでピアニストのコチョ・アルベ、ベーシストのカーソン・スミス、ドラマーのトム・モンゴメリーとのクァルテット・パフォーマンス(1984年)と、ベーシストのカーソン・スミスとドラマーのジョン・ピシとのトリオ・パフォーマンス(1988年)を収録。
ラスベガスのストリップ地区の古い部分にある4クイーンズ・ホテル&カジノでライブ録音されたこれらの素晴らしいパフォーマンスは、レムラーが自身のギターヒーローであるウェス・モンゴメリーやパット・マルティーノ、ジョージ・ベンソンなど、影響を受けたプレイヤーたちへの深い愛を明らかにしている。全体として、これらはエミリーがこれまで披露した最も輝きに満ちた、スイング感あふれる、探求心豊かな、抑制のない、そしてインスパイアされた演奏の一部を構成している。

Cookin at the Queens: Live in Las Vegas, 1984 & 1988 is the first Emily Remler album to appear since 1990s This Is Me, completed just before her death at 32. Remler was an abundantly gifted guitarist and composer; her sense of time, striated harmony, and rootsy swing were trademarks that evolved from straight-ahead hard bop to modal, Brazilian, and contemporary jazz. This compilation pairs two radio broadcast dates with the extant material left out for time considerations. Producers Zev "Jazz Detective" Feldman and Bill Milkowski, with executive producer George Klabin, unearthed more than 60 minutes that were previously unreleased in a truly handsome, 17-track package containing three LPs or two CDs, rare photos, a fine liner essay by Milkowski, and tributes and reminiscences from other musicians. Remlers 1984 quartet included pianist Cocho Arbe, bassist Carson Smith, and drummer Tom Montgomery; her 1988 trio included Smith and drummer John Pisci. A furious rendition of Bobby Timmons "Moanin" opens disc one. Its raw, kinetic, and swings like mad. Not enough has been written about Remlers approach to blues; it almost governs her hard bop style with exquisite timing and technical facility. She delivers an intense solo, juxtaposing biting arpeggios and lyricism. Remler loved Brazilian music and included her interpretations of bossa and samba standards and recorded several. Her ten-minute reading of Tom Jobims classic "Insensatez" is suite-like. While the pianist carries the changes with lovely flourishes and accents, the bassist and drummer stretch time as Remler floats in, digging deep into the haunting melody with Arbe. Likewise, her reading of "Samba de Orfeu" reflects the joy and excess of Brazils annual festival amid buoyant swing and lyric invention. Her approach to jazz standards is equally innovative. Her version of Tadd Damerons "Hot House" swings with intensity as Remlers fleet single notes meet the bassists thrumming runs and the pianists steady groove with aplomb. Likewise, "Autumn Leaves" is delivered at a quick tempo, yet sacrifices none of the originals harmonic invention amid engaged interplay with her band. She approaches the ballads "Polka Dots and Moonbeams" and You Dont Know What Love Is" with sensitivity and subtlety, layering blues elegantly through the changes. On the second trio disc, she weds "Out of Nowhere," a midtempo ballad, with the brooding, dramatic "Manha de Carnival." Her approach to "All Blues" displays expansive chord voicings under Smiths rocking bass vamp as she creates a Wes Montgomery-esque multi-string solo. Likewise, "So What Impressions" is a blistering take on the classic Kind of Blue tune that veers into modal exploration without abandoning hard swing. Smith rises to Remlers incendiary solo, urging her on before closing the set with "D-Natural Blues." She employs George Freemans Chicago blues approach with Howard Roberts grooving jazz swing. When these recordings took place, Remler was riding high in the jazz spotlight with an evolved playing style, stellar compositions, an adventurous spirit, and exquisite taste. Cookin at the Queens is a revelation that not only reveals her abundant gifts, but serves as a reminder of the enormity of her loss. ~ Thom Jurek