Search - Paul Chambers :: Bass on Top

The Top Bass-Driven Album in All of Jazz

Todd M. Stellhorn | baltimore, MD | 08/28/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Bass on Top" is an unique, perhaps even ambitious, album from the blue note catalog, and while it shares some similarities to say a Kenny Burrell album of the period, it's closest relative is the 1960 offering "Soulnik" from the other great bassist of the time: Doug Watkins. However on "Soulnik" Watkins, who at the time rivaled Chambers for the title of best up-and-comer (check out his other leader date: "Watkins at Large", or his work with Donald Byrd, particularly "Byrd in Flight", if you're interested) employed a separate bassist so he could focus on cello. The effect was a rhythm section driven album, that tried to show what an ambitious bassist could do as a leader. "Soulnik" was helped by the presence of Yusef Lateef on flute and oboe, however it's fatal flaw was that Watkins himself neglected the bass duties in favor of a cello he had only started playing three days prior to the recording. Paul Chambers, on the other hand, with "Bass on Top" avoided all the mistakes of the Watkins album (though not consciously as "Bass on Top" was cut in 1957). Chambers does a lot of superb bow work, however he keeps his bread and butter abilities on the bass front and center. One of the really interesting things going on in this album is the playing of Hank Jones. It seems that in effect the bass and piano have switched positions on this date. Instead of the bass accentuating the piano work, Mr. Jones is instead comping to the sublime ever-flowing play of Mr. Chambers, adding a languid flavor to the continuous stream of round walking lines and bowing. The playing of Hank Jones in the lemon running smoothly over the meat of Chambers thick-toned bass. Add Kenny Burrell into the mix, who is wisely contributing to the ambiance of "Bass on Top" by taking on a firmly supporting role, as well as the unobtrusive, supportive drumming of Art Taylor, who can really be heard to great effect on the bonus track "Chamber Mates", and what you've got is a sound that swings in the older sense of the word, you can feel the spirit of Django Reinhardt floating happily in the musical-air. Paul Chambers with "Bass on Top" created his masterpiece, a walking round sound that is as advertised: the bass is on top, and jazz is all the better for it.

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The tops

K. R. Williams | melbourne, australia | 01/12/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A wonderful album. Chambers' use of the bow is ear-opening on "Yesterdays", his plucked statement of the melody on "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To" makes for a line as stimulating as the Adderleys' "Work Song". The support of Kenny Burrell, Hank Jones and Art Taylor is perfect."

Bassist etraordinaire

Steven D. wheeler | LONG ISLAND CITY, NEW YORK United States | 02/08/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Paul Chambers in my honest opinion,not to leave out many others,was one of the greatest jazz bassist there was.He had immaculate intonation,perfect pitch and was one the best walkers on bass,melodic,and knew his instrument.Soulful too.Powerful arco =pizzicato bowing/did a lot of glissandos too, that hasnt been replicated much in jazz,great album this is.check out trane on prestige to hear more of Big paul"