Dear Ann –

Though this passionate, lyrical song was originally recorded at a medium-slow swing tempo, it certainly works as a slower ballad as well. The key center of Dear Ann is deceptive: the beginning of the A section implies B♭ major, but with a tritone-sub cadence (Cm7-F7-Em7) the changes ultimately descend to C major at the end of the section. Like several other Paul Chambers songs the bridge goes to a distant key—in this case B major.

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.

An arrangement by Don Sickler for a unique ensemble: 5 basses, originally recorded by Daryl Johns overdubbed on all parts. This arrangement is an arco melody feature for Bass 1; the other parts play pizz. It's two choruses long; the first chorus is the head throughout, and Bass 1 solos for the two A sections of the second chorus, going back to the melody on the bridge. The solo section is played with a double-time feel and is written in cut-time twice as fast; this tempo change happens two measures before the end of the head to set up the solo.

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.

An unusual opportunity to play with the accompaniment of three overdubbed basses. Our Minus You melody part includes combined rhythms of the bass countermelodies below the staff. The minus melody track has a space for the soloist to play the cadenza on the coda, but includes the final arco Bass 1 melody phrase at the end to cue in the final chord.

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.