Bits & Bobs

Bassist Ron McClure just released a memoir, appropriately titled Bass in Time.McClure briefly was a member of Guaraldi's trio, from late 1973 through early 1974. By the time he came into Guaraldi's orbit, the bassist already had enjoyed a busy career on both coasts. McClure toured California in the mid-1960s with Wes Montgomery, Jimmy Cobb and Wynton Kelly. McClure eventually moved to California in 1969, at which point he joined the jazz quartet The Fourth Way, alongside Eddie Marshall, Mike Nock and Michael White. McClure returned to New York in 1971 and stayed for a year; he then bounced back to California in the summer of ’72. Drummer Mike Clark and McClure had gotten to know each other by this point; when Guaraldi was in need of a bassist, Clark suggested his friend.During a chat I had with Ron several years ago, he recalled being awed when first introduced to Guaraldi."I remember going out to his house; it was beautiful. I had played with Charles Lloyd for four years, and was…