Paul Laurence Dunbar Chambers, Jr. (April 22, 1935 – January 4, 1969) was one of the most influential jazz bassists of the 20th century. A prominent figure in many rhythm sections during the 1950s and 1960s, his importance in the development of jazz bass can be measured not only by the length and breadth of his work in this short period but also his impeccable time, intonation, and virtuosic improvisations.
Born in Pittsburgh on April 22, 1935, C...
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Paul Laurence Dunbar Chambers, Jr. (April 22, 1935 – January 4, 1969) was one of the most influential jazz bassists of the 20th century. A prominent figure in many rhythm sections during the 1950s and 1960s, his importance in the development of jazz bass can be measured not only by the length and breadth of his work in this short period but also his impeccable time, intonation, and virtuosic improvisations.
Born in Pittsburgh on April 22, 1935, Chambers was raised in Detroit following the death of his mother. He began playing music with several of his schoolmates; the baritone horn was his first instrument.
Later he took up the tuba. "I got along pretty well, but it's quite a job to carry it around in those long parades, and I didn't like the instrument that much." Chambers became a string bassist around 1949.
His formal bass training got going in earnest in 1952, when he began taking lessons with a bassist in the Detroit Symphony. Chambers did some classical work himself, with a...
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