Bob Cranshaw

Bob Cranshaw is one of the most recorded bass players in jazz history, and despite that fact, he hasn’t pigeonholed himself to just jazz exclusively. He was one of the very first upright bass players to successfully switch to the electric bass when the music scene was starting to change during the 1960s. As a result, he has had an extensive career doing a great deal of work in studios, Broadway musicals, TV shows, jingles, and touring and/or recording with a number of popular singers. Cranshaw has been my private bass teacher since I moved to New York City and I have had the privilege to know him personally as a good friend and mentor for approximately the past decade. While Cranshaw is starting to get more recognition as time passes, I wanted to present a more detailed account of his life and career offering some of the stories he told me personally and also find some new stories that haden't been mentioned previously. Part of that history is the MJT+3, the quintet he played in that moved Cranshaw to New York in 1959. Included in this paper are more insights theoretically of how he played on a select few recordings, both popular and obscure. Despite being on more than a handful of recordings, there hasn't been a lot of transcriptions of his work published so I decided to focus specifically on all types of his performances such as analyzing what he plays as an accompanist, and when he solos or gets featured on the bass. Today, Cranshaw is currently one of the executive board members at Local 802, the Musician’s Union of Greater New York, where his main priority is helping professional musicians to survive and at least make a comfortable and decent living in the big city. He is a rare breed of musician who personally looks out for younger musicians and guides them to stay on track in their careers and their lives.M.F.A.Includes bibliographical referencesby Anthony Joseph Lanne