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.

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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

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Paul Chambers - Dear Ann (Whims Of Chambers)

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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.

Check out the other Paul Chambers songs from "Whims Of Chambers," recorded at Rudy Van Gelder's Hackensack studio.

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.

CLIP Paul Chambers solos for half of a chorus before trumpeter Donald Byrd solos on the bridge and takes the melody out at C. Our solo transcription includes the entire last chorus: Paul's solo on the two A sections and his 2-feel lines for B and C. The solo has detailed fingerings and articulations for an in-depth look at his unique style. A bass line transcription is also available for the rest of the track; click on Bass Corner for details.

This recording is three choruses total:
-- 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.

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...

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Dear Ann – Paul Chambers

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