Paul Chambers opens his 1956 album Chambers' Music with Charlie Parker's "Dexterity," a bebop classic built on the chord changes of "I Got Rhythm." Chambers leads the solo sequence with two bass choruses that immediately establish his credentials as one of the premier bass soloists in jazz, his intonation clear and his melodic ideas flowing with the fluidity of a horn player. John Coltrane follows with two tenor saxophone choruses that capture him in an early but already compelling stage of development, his lines driven by the harmonic curiosity that would soon reshape the saxophone's possibilities. Kenny Drew rounds out the solo sequence with two piano choruses of polished bebop improvisation, his touch light and his phrasing swinging. The 32-bar AABA form provides a familiar framework for the trio, and all three musicians navigate it with confidence and invention. Recorded for Jazz: West, this was one of the rare early recordings to feature Chambers as a leader rather than the indispensable sideman he was on countless sessions for Prestige, Blue Note, and Columbia. The album's title is a fitting pun that highlights the bassist's musicianship, and this opening track demonstrates why Chambers was the most sought-after bassist of his generation.
