Paul Chambers
Acoustic Bass Solo on
Paul's Pal

About

Paul Chambers's acoustic bass solo is the second of 3 solos on this recording, following Sonny Rollins's tenor sax and before Red Garland's closing piano statement. Spanning one chorus of the 32-bar AABA form at a medium-up 155 BPM with a swing feel in G, the solo runs approximately 50 seconds. Chambers, the tune's dedicatee, responds with a chorus of bass improvisation that justifies Rollins's musical tribute, his playing marked by the melodic inventiveness and rhythmic authority that made him the most in-demand bassist in jazz during this period. Paul Chambers was 20 to 21 years old at the time of this 1956 recording.

Paul Chambers was 20 to 21 years old at the time.