Some bassists hold down a song by laying an unbudging rhythmic foundation; others carry the tune aloft with intricate melodic lines. San Geronimo Valley native Owen Clapp likes to do both. “A bassist provides a bedrock for other musicians to build upon—it’s a supporting role, and I like being behind the scenes,” Mr. Clapp said. “But I’m also drawn to the melodic possibility of the instrument.” That duality will take center stage on March 7, when he will appear at the San Geronimo Valley Community Center alongside two longtime collaborators, drummer Jonathan Pison and guitarist Gregory Uhlmann. The ensemble will debut a suite of 20 interconnected pieces composed by Mr. Clapp over the past seven years, with movements varying in length from two to 10 minutes. It’s a sonic excavation of West Marin, whose people and places have served as his muse. “There’s this ineffable quality of the place,” he said. “I’m inspired by the way all the elements of the landscape sort of fit together. Also, it’s home.” Mr. Clapp, who is 33, took up bass at age 11, inspired by the late tenor saxophonist John Firman, a family friend, and the musical inclinations of his older sister, who performed in a band called Roamin’ Numerals. Mr. Firman thought the bass might be a good fit for Owen: though it may be one of the least heralded instruments in a jazz ensemble, no composition resonates without it. As a teenager, Mr. Clapp jammed on electric bass in local garages before honing his skills on the upright while studying ethnomusicology and jazz at the University of California, Los Angeles. There he met his future collaborators, Mr. Pison—“an energetic drummer with amazing intuition”—and Mr. Uhlmann, a guitarist who brings an ethereal quality to his melodies. Since returning to West Marin in 2017, Mr. Clapp has steadily worked on the compositions that form his new suite, and he recently refined them with his partners in mind. With Mr. Clapp as anchor and fulcrum, the others are free to explore new musical territory. “I’ll provide them with a loose sketch of the melody and structure so they can bring their own voices to the music,” Mr. Clapp said. The resulting sound incorporates strains of jazz, blues, bluegrass and folk twined with contemporary inflections. “Genres are hard,” he admits. “I suppose I’m simply trying to capture a feeling that I have about this place—something you can’t quite describe with words but might capture in music.” After the valley performance, the trio will spend a weekend at Oakland’s 25th Street Studio, committing the suite to tape. The recording, slated for both vinyl and digital release, will mark Mr. Clapp’s first album of entirely original work. Tickets at https://events.humanitix.com/owen-clapp-and-friends.