Bob Cranshaw
Acoustic Bass Solo on
Inner Urge

About

Bob Cranshaw's acoustic bass solo is the first of five improvisations on this landmark recording, opening the solo section in an unconventional manner. Taking three choruses of the 24-bar form in G at 219 BPM, Cranshaw establishes the piece's searching, intense character before the other soloists enter. His placement at the start of the solo order rather than after the horn and piano is a striking structural choice that sets this performance apart, his deep-toned bass lines navigating the challenging harmonic terrain with authority.

Bob Cranshaw was 31 to 32 years old at the time.