Ron McClure

Ron McClure (born November 22, 1941)^[1] is an American jazz bassist.

Ron McClure
McClure at the Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society, Half Moon Bay, California, in 1987
Background information
Born	(1941-11-22) November 22, 1941 (age 83) New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
Genres	Jazz, jazz rock
Occupation(s)	Musician, composer, educator
Instrument	Bass
Years active	1965–present
Labels	Bellaphon, Ken, Steeplechase
Website	www.ronmcclure.com

Early life

McClure was born in New Haven, Connecticut, United States.^[1] He started on piano at age five, and later played accordion and bass.^[1] McClure studied privately with Joseph Iadone and, later, with Hall Overton and Don Sebesky.^[1] McClure attended the Hartt School of Music,^[2] graduating in 1963.^[1]

Later life and career

McClure worked in the Buddy Rich Sextet in 1963.^[1] He then joined Maynard Ferguson's big band^[2] and, afterwards, Herbie Mann in 1964; and then assumed the bass chair in the Wynton Kelly Trio vacated by Paul Chambers in 1965 (playing behind guitarist Wes Montgomery).^[1]

From 1966 to 1969, he was a member of Charles Lloyd's "classic quartet" with pianist Keith Jarrett and drummer Jack DeJohnette,^[3] which was voted "Group of the Year" in 1967 by Downbeat magazine.

In 1970, with pianist-composer Mike Nock, drummer Eddie Marshall and violinist Michael White, he co-founded the jazz-rock group, the Fourth Way.^[1] He also participated in Carla Bley's album, Escalator over the Hill, and worked with saxophonist Joe Henderson.

In April and May 1972, while McClure was teaching at Berklee College of Music, he worked three jobs lasting a total of four weeks as the bassist in the Thelonious Monk Quartet.^[4]

In October, 1973, McClure joined Vince Guaraldi and drummer Mike Clark for sessions at Wally Heider Studios in San Francisco. Their take of “Autumn Leaves” can be heard on a posthumous 2006 CD titled “North Beach”.

In 1974, McClure joined Blood, Sweat & Tears, staying until 1975 and performing on three albums: Mirror Image, New City and In Concert.^[1]

In the 1980s, he joined Quest, led by saxophonist Dave Liebman, which also included drummer Billy Hart and pianist Richie Beirach.^[5] He also recorded a duo album with pianist Michel Petrucciani.^[1] McClure's major engagements in the 1990s through the early 2000s were with Lee Konitz, and then with the reassembled Quest.

His solo output include the contributions of John Scofield, John Abercrombie, Vic Juris, Paul Bley, Michael Eckroth, Richie Beirach, and Randy Brecker.

Discography

Ron McClure (left) with guitarist Johnny Alegre (center) and drummer Billy Hart (right) in Midtown, Manhattan, at 151 West 46th Street, between Sixth and Seventh Avenues. The photo was taken in 2009, when they recorded Johnny Alegre 3 for MCA.

As leader

• Home Base (Ode [New Zealand], 1979)
• Descendants (Ken Music [Japan], 1980)
• Yesterday's Tomorrow (EPC/European Music Productions, 1989) with John Abercrombie, Aldo Romano
• McJolt (SteepleChase, 1990) with John Abercrombie
• Never Forget (SteepleChase, 1990) with Eddie Henderson, Vincent Herring
• Inspiration (Ken Music [Japan], 1991)
• Tonite Only (SteepleChase, 1991) with John Abercrombie
• Sunburst (SteepleChase, 1992)
• Inner Account (SteepleChase, 1993)
• Never Always (SteepleChase, 1995)
• Concrete Canyon (SteepleChase, 1996)
• Pink Cloud (Naxos Jazz, 1997)
• Closer to Your Tears (SteepleChase, 1997)
• Dream Team (SteepleChase, 1998)
• Double Triangle (Naxos Jazz, 1999)
• Match Point (SteepleChase, 2002)
• Age of Peace (SteepleChase, 2003)
• Soft Hands (SteepleChase, 2007)
• Wonderland (SteepleChase, 2008) with Harold Danko
• New Moon (SteepleChase, 2009)
• Dedication (SteepleChase, 2011)
• Crunch Time (SteepleChase, 2012)
• Ready or Not (SteepleChase, 2013)
• Hello Stars (McJolt Records, 2016)
• Hope & Knowledge (McJolt Records, 2018)
• Lucky Sunday (SteepleChase, 2019)
• NightQuest (SteepleChase, 2022)

As sideman

With Joe Henderson

• If You're Not Part of the Solution, You're Part of the Problem (Milestone, 1970)
• Jazz Patterns (Everest, 1970 [1982])
• In Pursuit of Blackness (Milestone, 1971)

With Lee Konitz

• Zounds (Soul Note, 1990)
• It's You (SteepleChase, 1996)
• Dig-It (SteepleChase, 1999) with Ted Brown

With David Liebman

• The Opal Heart (44 Records, 1979)
• Doin' It Again (Timeless, 1979)
• If They Only Knew (Timeless, 1980)

With Charles Lloyd

• Love-In (Atlantic, 1967)
• Journey Within (Atlantic, 1967)
• Charles Lloyd in the Soviet Union (Atlantic, 1970)
• Soundtrack (Atlantic, 1969)

With Karlheinz Miklin

• Next Page (SOS Music [Austria], 1991)
• Decisions (1993)
• Last Waltz (Acoustic Music, 1997)
• From Here to There (TCB Records, 2002)
• In Between (2004)

With Jarmo Savolainen

• First Sight (Timeless, 1992)
• True Image (A-Records, 1995)

With others

• Johnny Alegre, Johnny Alegre 3 (MCA Music [Philippines], 2009)
• Burak Bedikyan, Leap of Faith (SteepleChase, 2015)
• Carla Bley, Escalator over the Hill (JCOA, 1971)
• Paul Bley, The Nearness of You (SteepleChase, 1989)
• George Cables, Quiet Fire (SteepleChase, 1994)
• Stanley Cowell, Sienna (SteepleChase, 1989)
• Don Friedman, Almost Everything (SteepleChase, 1995)
• Wynton Kelly Trio, Full View (Milestone, 1968)
• Michel Petrucciani, Cold Blues (OWL, 1985)
• The Pointer Sisters, The Pointer Sisters (Blue Thumb, 1973)
• Julian Priester, Love, Love (ECM, 1973)
• George Russell, Live in an American Time Spiral (Soul Note, 1983)
• James Spaulding, The Smile of the Snake (HighNote, 1997)
• Dave Stryker, Strike Zone (SteepleChase, 1991)