Robert Black (bassist)

For another musician, see Robert Black (conductor).

Robert Alan Black (March 16, 1956 – June 22, 2023) was an American double bassist, electric bassist, improvisor, and educator.

Robert Black
Born	(1956-03-16)March 16, 1956 Denver, Colorado, U.S.
Died	June 22, 2023(2023-06-22) (aged 67) Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.
Genres	Classical
Instruments	Upright bass, electric bass

Life and career

Black was born on March 16, 1956.^[1] A student of Gary Karr, Black performed with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, the Ciompi and Miami String Quartets and the orchestras of the Monadock and Moab Festivals. He was a founding member of the Bang on a Can All Stars. As a solo and chamber musician, Black collaborated with and commissioned artists as diverse as John Cage, Evan Ziporyn, Julia Wolfe, Michael Gordon, David Lang, Meredith Monk, and DJ Spooky, amidst a slew of others.

Black lived in Hartford, Connecticut, and was on the faculty of the University of Hartford Hartt School and the Manhattan School of Music.^[2] He died from colon cancer in Hartford, on June 22, 2023, at the age of 67.^[3]