Bob Cranshaw


Melbourne Robert Cranshaw was an American jazz bassist. His career spanned the heyday of Blue Note Records as a house bassist. He is known for his long association with Sonny Rollins, starting with a live appearance at the 1959 Playboy jazz festival in Chicago and Rollins's 1962 album The Bridge.
Cranshaw died at the age of 83 on November 2, 2016, in Manhattan, New York, of cancer.

Early life

Cranshaw was born Dec. 10, 1932 in Evanston, Illinois. His parents were of Madagascan and Native American descent. His father, Stanley Irvine Cranshaw, was a jazz drummer from Kansas City who moved to Evanston and worked as an electrician. Bob's brother Stanley Jr. became a jazz pianist. Their adopted brother Emanuel became a vibraphonist.

Career

In a 2016 interview with The New York Times, Rollins called Cranshaw "impeccable" and said that he "played with probably every musician in New York." In addition to five decades of collaboration with Rollins, Cranshaw contributed to Lee Morgan's "The Sidewinder" and Joe Henderson’s “Inner Urge.”
Cranshaw performed with Wes Montgomery, Coleman Hawkins, Johnny Hodges, Horace Silver, McCoy Tyner, Thelonious Monk, Jimmy Heath, James Moody, Buddy Rich, George Shearing, Joe Williams, Ella Fitzgerald, and Oscar Peterson. He also collaborated with musicians outside of jazz, including Paul Simon, Barry Manilow, Eddie Kendricks, Judy Collins, Rod Stewart, Stevie Wonder, Eric Clapton, Dolly Parton, Marvin Gaye, James Brown, and Debbie Gibson.
Cranshaw had an extensive career in television. He was a member of the first band for Saturday Night Live, and the bands backing the broadcasts of Dick Cavett and Merv Griffin. Cranshaw played for three decades with Joe Raposo composing music for Sesame Street.
He was an active supporter of the Jazz Foundation of America and the American Federation of Musicians.

Discography

As sideman

With Pepper Adams
With Nat Adderley
With Eric Alexander
With Mose Allison
With Gene Ammons
With Carole Bayer SagerCarole Bayer Sager
With Kenny Barron
With George BensonGoodies Giblet Gravy
With Walter Bishop Jr.
With Paul Bley
With Jonathan Butler
With Jaki Byard
With Donald Byrd
With Betty Carter
With Ray Charles
With Johnny Coles
With Judy Collins
With Hank Crawford
With Sonny Criss
With Frank Foster
With George Freeman
With Debbie GibsonThink with Your Heart
With Dexter Gordon
With Bunky Green
With Grant Green
With Grachan Moncour III
With Friedrich Gulda
  • Ineffable
With Slide Hampton
With Barry Harris
With Eddie Harris
With Hampton Hawes
With Coleman Hawkins
With Jimmy Heath
With Joe Henderson
With Maurice Hines
With Johnny Hodges
With Bobby Hutcherson
With Milt Jackson
With Willis Jackson
With Antônio Carlos Jobim
With Howard Johnson and Gravity
With J. J. Johnson
With Quincy JonesGolden Boy
With Clifford Jordan
With Eddie Kendricks
  • Vintage '78
With Morgana KingNew Beginnings
With Eric Kloss
With Irene Kral
With Yusef Lateef
With Mike Longo
With Johnny Lytle
With Junior Mance
With Barry Manilow
With Jack McDuff
With Jimmy McGriff
With Jackie McLean
With Carmen McRae
With MJT + 3
With Hank Mobley
With Grachan Moncur III
With Wes Montgomery
With James Moody
With Lee Morgan
With Oliver Nelson
With Duke Pearson
With Houston Person
With Esther Phillips
With Dave Pike
With Sonny Red
With Leon Redbone
With Irene Reid
  • Room for One More
With Max Roach
With Sonny Rollins
With Charlie RouseMoment's Notice
With Lalo Schifrin
With Shirley Scott
With Wayne Shorter
With Horace Silver
With Paul SimonThere Goes Rhymin' Simon
With Frank SinatraL.A. Is My Lady
With Jimmy Smith
With Rod StewartStardust: The Great American Songbook, Volume III
With Billy Taylor
With Clark Terry and Bob Brookmeyer
With Bobby Timmons
With Stanley Turrentine
With McCoy Tyner
With Harold Vick
With Loudon Wainwright III
With Cedar Walton
With Cris WilliamsonCris Williamson
With Joe Williams
With Mary Lou Williams
With Victoria Williams
With Larry Willis
With Gerald Wilson
With Jack Wilson
With Reuben Wilson
With Kai Winding
With The Young Lions
With Joe Zawinul