Whims Of Chambers – Paul Chambers
A bass workout on the blues, though the melody works for other instruments as well. Our bass transcription includes Paul Chambers' melody, solo and walking from the recording. We also have an arrangement by Don Sickler for four basses, recorded by rising star bassist Daryl Johns.
- Recording: Paul Chambers - Whims Of Chambers
- Recorded on: September 21, 1956
- Label: Blue Note (BLP 1534)
- Concert Key: F
- Style: Swing (medium)
- Guitar - Kenny Burrell
- Piano - Horace Silver
- Bass - Paul Chambers
- Drums - Philly Joe Jones
0:00
0:00
Like several other Paul Chambers songs, Whims Of Chambers was originally recorded as a bass feature; the melody certainly works for other instruments as well. It's a hard-bop blues head, using a lot of blues scale plus a charming triplet "walk-up" for the turnaround. On the recording, the bass and guitar play the melody in octaves.
A transcription is available showing everything Paul Chambers played on the recording: melody, solo and walking lines. Click on the Bass Corner ans Solos tabs for more details.
A transcription is available showing everything Paul Chambers played on the recording: melody, solo and walking lines. Click on the Bass Corner ans Solos tabs for more details.
An iconic album with a unique lineup; other tracks on "Whims Of Chambers" add Donald Byrd on trumpet and John Coltrane on tenor sax. This was Paul Chambers' debut as a leader on Blue Note; the day before this session was the first session for "Kenny Drew Trio" on Riverside, with Drew, Chambers, and Philly Joe Jones. Besides "Whims Of Chambers," Kenny Burrell and Horace Silver recorded together on only one other album: Kenny's "K.B. Blues" in February 1957. Chambers' July 1957 album "Bass On Top" also features Burrell in a quartet setting throughout.
Paul Chambers recorded six albums as a leader; "Whims Of Chambers" was the second. The rest of this album features trumpeter Donald Byrd and tenor saxophonist John Coltrane, who are added to this lineup for two of their own compositions each. Byrd also plays on another of the three Chambers originals on this album, Dear Ann; the remaining song, Chambers' Tale Of The Fingers, is a trio track with only piano, bass and drums. Kenny Burrell also played on Paul's fourth album, "Bass On Top," in July 1957; this was again a quartet, with Hank Jones on piano and Art Taylor on drums.
For more historical information about this lineup check out Tale Of The Fingers.
Paul Chambers recorded six albums as a leader; "Whims Of Chambers" was the second. The rest of this album features trumpeter Donald Byrd and tenor saxophonist John Coltrane, who are added to this lineup for two of their own compositions each. Byrd also plays on another of the three Chambers originals on this album, Dear Ann; the remaining song, Chambers' Tale Of The Fingers, is a trio track with only piano, bass and drums. Kenny Burrell also played on Paul's fourth album, "Bass On Top," in July 1957; this was again a quartet, with Hank Jones on piano and Art Taylor on drums.
For more historical information about this lineup check out Tale Of The Fingers.
Paul Chambers' three solo choruses CLIP are a classic example of his pizzicato style, with many sinuous, stepwise lines that weave through the changes.
A complete bass transcription is available of what Paul Chambers played on the recording. It includes his in and out melody, solo, as well as walking for the piano and guitar solos. Articulations are detailed throughout; the solo and walking include both fingerings and implied alternate changes. This is a great in-depth look at the legendary bassist's style.
- Recording: Daryl Johns - Tribute to Paul Chambers
- Recorded on: May 29, 2010
- Label: jazzleadsheets.com (JLS 1002)
- Concert Key: F
- Style: Swing (medium)
- Multiple Basses - Daryl Johns
Full Score and parts are available for this unique arrangement by Don Sickler for four basses. The melody is set up with an intro, in which bass 1 pedals triplets while the other parts play rhythmic chord hits. Bass 1 continues the melody for the head, with rhythmic punctuations from the other parts. After solo choruses, there are two choruses of stop-time hits with breaks for the soloist; each is repeated, for a total of four choruses of breaks. The recording goes straight to the out head after these choruses, but if you're playing this arrangement you have the option of continuing for more soloists instead. On the recording bass 4 walks for the bass 1 solo, but each part has the option of walking (or soloing).
Ensemble rhythms are cued below the staff in our bass 1 part; in the other parts, the melody rhythms are cued.
Ensemble rhythms are cued below the staff in our bass 1 part; in the other parts, the melody rhythms are cued.
Daryl Johns was 13 years old when he recorded the "Tribute To Paul Chambers" project. More Chambers compositions in multiple-bass arrangements are coming soon to jazzleadsheets.com. Also check out Don Sickler's Tempo di Max, recorded as part of this project on the day before Daryl's 14th birthday.
It was during this project with Daryl, who was playing a small bass at the time, that Rudy Van Gelder devised a new method of recording the bass that he thought would enhance Daryl's unique sound and technique.
It was during this project with Daryl, who was playing a small bass at the time, that Rudy Van Gelder devised a new method of recording the bass that he thought would enhance Daryl's unique sound and technique.
Exclusive audio Daryl Johns' complete 4-bass track without the melody bass, so you can play along and solo.
CLIP
CLIP
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...