Dear Ann – Paul Chambers
Paul Chambers' tribute to his wife is a lyrical ballad (first recorded at a slow swing tempo) with a deceptive key center. Besides our lead sheet, we have transcriptions of Paul's bass lines and solo from the original recording. Also, Don Sickler's 5-Bass arrangement and a Minus You version.
- Recording: Paul Chambers - Whims Of Chambers
- Recorded on: September 21, 1956
- Label: Blue Note (BLP 1534)
- Concert Key: C
- Vocal Range: , to
- Style: Swing (medium slow)
- Trumpet - Donald Byrd
- Tenor Sax - John Coltrane
- Guitar - Kenny Burrell
- Piano - Horace Silver
- Bass - Paul Chambers
- Drums - Philly Joe Jones
Video
- Description
- Historical Notes
- Solos
- Piano Corner
- Bass Corner
- Drum Corner
- Guitar Corner
- Inside & Beyond
- Minus You
Our lead sheet reflects the rubato intro (guitar) and coda (trumpet) from this original recording. As you can hear from trumpeter Donald Byrd's interpretation, this simple melody is very open to expressive embellishment.
Transcriptions of Paul Chambers' bass lines and solo are available; click on Solos and Bass Corner for more details.
Paul Chambers named this song for his wife, Ann. Paul recorded Dear Ann again in 1959, on the sessions for his Vee Jay album "Go!"—though it was not released until the CD reissue. This slower ballad version is an arco bass feature, in a trio setting with Wynton Kelly on piano and Jimmy Cobb on drums.
-- intro (Kenny Burrell)
-- melody (Donald Byrd)
-- Horace Silver solo AA
-- Kenny Burrell solo BC
-- Paul Chambers solo AA
-- Donald Byrd solo B
-- out melody and coda (Donald Byrd) C
Our bass line transcription consists of the first two choruses. Paul plays 2-feel for the melody chorus and walks for the first solo chorus (divided between piano and guitar solos). The melody is shown on a smaller staff above the bass for the in head chorus. The walking lines have detailed fingerings.
For the last chorus, a solo transcription is available; click on Solos.
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- Recording: Daryl Johns - Tribute to Paul Chambers - Daryl Johns: multiple basses
- Recorded on: June 13, 2010
- Label: jazzleadsheets.com (JLS 1002)
- Concert Key: C
- Vocal Range: , to
- Style: Ballad
- Multiple Basses - Daryl Johns
Video
- Description
- Historical Notes
- Solos
- Piano Corner
- Bass Corner
- Drum Corner
- Guitar Corner
- Inside & Beyond
- Minus You
This is quite a detailed, layered arrangement with largely contrapuntal accompaniment for the melody. The accompanying bass parts play together in a few important places including the beginning of the first A and the first half of the bridge. On the solo section, Bass 5 plays a 2-feel; Basses 2, 3, and 4 have harmonized background figures together. At the coda, Bass 1 plays a solo cadenza and cues in a final ensemble chord.
The Bass 1 part has cues throughout the melody showing combined rhythms of the other four parts. Meanwhile the other parts have mostly the rhythms of the melody as a cue, with a few important countermelody rhythms included.
This track is also available in Minus You format; click on the second album cover for details.
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- Recording: Don Sickler - Don & Daryl
- Recorded on: June 2, 2020
- Label: jazzleadsheets.com (JLS 1066)
- Concert Key: C
- Vocal Range: , to
- Style: Ballad
- Flugelhorn - Don Sickler
- Multiple Basses - Daryl Johns
- Description
- Historical Notes
- Solos
- Piano Corner
- Bass Corner
- Drum Corner
- Guitar Corner
- Inside & Beyond
- Minus You
As this is a more complicated arrangement than our other multiple basses Minus You tracks, our parts include measure numbers at the beginning of each system to really lock in the form.
Click on Minus You for more details.
-- count off sets up the melody
-- play the melody
-- solo (2 D sections)
-- play the out melody (D.S.)
-- solo cadenza on the coda - arco bass cue sets up the final chord, and fill over the chord
Related Songs
Email Send Dear Ann to a friend

Paul Chambers
April 22, 1935 – January 4, 1969
Bassist Paul Chambers was a leading rhythmic force in the 1950s and 1960s. He became one of the signature bassists in jazz history. Born in Pittsburgh but raised in Detroit, Chambers initially took up the baritone horn as a child. He followed suit with the tuba and didn't become interested in the string bass until 1949. Listening to Charlie Parker and Bud Powell and studying under a bassist of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Chambers began making headway in small bars of Hastings Street area and doing club jobs with Kenny Burrell, Thad Jones and Barry Harris. He did classical work in a group called the Detroit String Band, a rehearsal symphony orchestra. Read more...