Bob Cranshaw
| Bob Cranshaw | |
|---|---|
Bob Cranshaw in 1976
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Melbourne Robert Cranshaw |
| Born |
December 3, 1932 Chicago, Illinois, US |
| Origin | Evanston, Illinois, US |
| Died |
November 2, 2016 (aged 83) Manhattan, New York, US |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Double bass, electric bass |
| Associated acts | Sonny Rollins, many others |
Melbourne Robert "Bob" Cranshaw (December 3, 1932 – November 2, 2016) was an American jazz bassist. His career spanned the heyday of Blue Note Records to his recent involvement with the Musicians Union. He is perhaps best known for his long association with Sonny Rollins. Cranshaw performed in Rollins's working band on and off for over five decades, starting with a live appearance at the 1959 Playboy jazz festival in Chicago and on record with the 1962 album The Bridge.
Some of Cranshaw's best-known performances include Lee Morgan's The Sidewinder and Grant Green's Idle Moments. Cranshaw also served as the sole session bassist to Sesame Street and The Electric Company songwriter and composer Joe Raposo, and played bass guitar on all songs, tracks, buttons and cues recorded by the Children's Television Workshop during Raposo's tenure. In addition, he was the bass player for Saturday Night Live from 1975 to 1980 and musical director and bassist for Dick Cavett's talk show in the early 1980s. He performed in pit orchestras for numerous Broadway shows including Jesus Christ Superstar, Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band: The Musical and many more. He recorded innumerable recording dates for television shows, films and jingles. He is among the most recorded bassists in history.
Along with Wes Montgomery's brother Monk, Cranshaw was among the early jazz bassists to trade his upright bass for an electric bass. He was criticized for this by jazz purists, although he was forced to switch by a back injury incurred in a serious auto accident.
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