Bobby Naughton Trio

Unlike the common hierarchical and sexist history of music  – including Jazz – the evolution of sounds isn’t really a series of Great Men introducing an idea and then having it adapted. Like an amoeba that captures many outside items to grow, numerous individual are involved. Improvised music is less star oriented, but numerous players still get ignored. That’s why Housatonic Rumble is notable. Besides the in-the moment playing of bassist Joe Fonda, still very active with bands like the Eastern Boundary and Conference Call, these tracks from 1985 highlight sounds from two much lesser-known American players: vibraphonist Bobby Naughton and drummer Randy Kaye.

Naughton (1944-2022), was associated with sound explorers like Wadada Leo Smith and Perry Robinson early in his career, but also worked as a locksmith from the 1980s onwards. Kaye (1947-2008) had a quarter century affiliation with Jimmy Giuffre as well as with the likes of André Jaume. Recorded at two different live gigs in Cambridge, the 12 tracks highlight the trio members’ skills. The second half dozen has a slight edge though, since the vibist’s bouncing reverberations and the bassist’s almost psychic arco and pizzicato timbral reflections appear louder and more assured than on the initial set. Able to adapt to sudden tempo changes and stop-time interludes with unhurried ruffs and ratamacue, Kaye’s rhythmic contributions never desert him. Additionally his few solos are constrained and to the point.

Individually Naughton’s metal bar improvisations were more highly cadenced than the average vibist at the time since his pulses were directed towards idiophones rather than keyboards. Sustain encompasses bell-like ringing, aluminum and resonator clangs plus ascending, descending and motor-driven resonations. Inventive as always, Fonda’s string thumps and pumps affiliate with the others’ output yet also create a path for themselves. He inserts a quote from “Boogie Stop Shuffle” during his duo with the vibist on “Calves” for instance. or moves from steady walking to spiccato flanges that practically race up the scale in tandem with Naughton’s bright multi-mallet pops and stops on “Composition 23J”.

Throughout the bass-vibes antiphony is constant and creative whether the trio is involved in slow, plinking resonations such as “Shepaug Strut (Version 2)” or out-and-out almost classic swing reflections as on “Vashkar”. with reverberating bar bounces, place making drum pops and projected arco string stops.

If Husatonic Rumble has any drawbacks it’s the snatches of bar-patron conversation that are heard as well infrequently, plus the reality that having only three quasi-percussion instruments expressing an entire 75-minute program can be a bit monotonous. Naughton, Kaye – and in parenthesis Fonda – should be praised more for their music. But listening to the program in two parts, as it was originally recorded, should escalate contemporary appreciation.

–Ken Waxman

Track Listing: 1. Bounce 2. Shepaug Strut 3. Calves 4. Nauxtagram 5. Housatonic Rumble 6. Slant 7. Composition 23J 8. Vashkar 9. Jose Josh 10. Pomperaug Diversions 11. Slant (Version 2) 12. Shepaug Strut (Version 2)

Personnel: Bobby Naughton (vibraphone); Joe Fonda (bass) and Randy Kaye (drums)