Backbone > Ear Whacks

Bass Buffoon: The Legacy of Capt. X
By Sharon Nichols

ZOING! YOING, YOING! Late improv jazz bassist and composer Dave Roufberg, or Capt. X, could be dubbed the king of cartoon—music, that is. From the rollicking to the ridiculous, he simply tossed up his colored confetti tones and let them land where they might. Even so, his compositions had a form, function, and orchestration that were entirely unique and perfect as is. For this artist, improv was a level where truth, self-awareness, and risk taking began.

“Performers and listeners in most situations share a certain set of assumptions on how music is to be played,” Roufberg wrote in the liner notes of A Celebration of the Music of Dave Roufberg. “This might be called the style of the individual musician. The most outstanding characteristic of improvised music is at no time does one know quite what to expect. Thus what we might call the ‘style’ of the group is ‘mostly what you want with a little of what you don’t want.’ The musical result is a true reflection of nature, no matter how it is perceived. Improvisational music is strongly affected by the whims of each performer in the group as well as the reaction and/or participation of the audience.”

The world was robbed of a brilliant bassman too early on. Formally trained at Berkley School of Music in Boston (where he formed his improv psychoband, The Lunch Factor), Roufberg was a mere 35 years of age on that winter morning in 1999 when he was found dead in his home. “Unknown causes,” says younger brother and protégé Adam Roufberg. “He simply went to bed and didn’t wake up.” At the time of his death, Roufberg was running amok with his Muse, working with several different ensembles, including The Lunch Factor, with which he haunted the Knitting Factory in New York City on a regular basis. He had also recently worked with Hudson Valley Americana musician Lowry Hamner, trump vet Ted Daniel, and rocker Rich Reich.

After the untimely passing, brother Adam, along with family and friends, collected some of Roufberg’s finest performances with a literal horde of musicians, and made the crazy compilation CD. At the same time, the Capt. X Fund was established in memory of Roufberg, its purpose to assist dedicated musicians in gaining exposure and recognition for their art by helping them obtain equipment, through networking and scholarships, maintaining a library of music and holding an annual tribute concert. The foundation is relatively new and funding is limited, but it’s nonetheless very active. Past performers at the annual concerts have included Hamner and well-known jazz composer Henry Threadgil (last year at Art Omi in Ghent). A Web site for Capt. X was short-lived due to lack of funds (mostly family donations). Originally run as an umbrella under the Ossining Arts Council (Roufberg was the founder of their free improvising composers’ society), the organization was recently granted 501(c)3 status and was established as a legal not-for-profit. They look forward to more fundraising and perhaps even hiring a grant writer soon.

“Dave didn’t have any interest in making money,” explains Adam. “He didn’t try to market himself at all. But he definitely wanted to gain popularity and push the envelope of music. He was just starting to gain a reputation through different musical contacts, which would have given him the opportunity to introduce his stuff. Unfortunately he was at a point where most of what he did was very, very hard to sell. The foundation was set up to honor my brother and continue what he was trying to accomplish—to support musicians who are making music for music’s sake, and art for art’s sake, not for a commercial endeavor. To play music because it’s a spiritual and artistic thing.”

BLAMPH! Welcome to the cartoon colors of Capt. X (no one is really sure why Roufberg called himself that) and its many merry makers of music. The tribute CD features five percussionists, three trombonists, two on trumpet, and one musician each on keys, guitar, banjo, sax, vocals and cello. And, of course, Roufberg on bass. Inspired by comic bandleader Spike Jones, American composer Charles Ives, Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, Dixieland styles and even Bach, Roufberg takes off on a recording that is teeming with skill and silliness, with song titles such as “A Bit Fuckin’ Runny,” “Funkset Stomach,” and “Cow Hands on Broadway.” It is an intense and intellectually challenging piece of work which could make the ears bleed if unprepared, at times, with its sheer racket. Ridiculous horns send the listener sprinting for the circus, while at the same time being pursued by strange gutturals, fart noises, squeaky toy sounds, crying baby vocals and other bizarre hubbub and clamor. One might wonder if some of these songs would sound just as interesting if played backwards, sped up, slowed down, or on the moon. All selections are from live performances from 1987 through 1998, with the exception of one studio recording, “Stick in the Mud (Please Put Me),” Roufberg’s last composition.

Since the most prominent point to Roufberg’s music is the inherent humor, adults may have a harder time responding to it than children. “Adults look for something more mainstream or easier to dance to, not so complicated,” says Adam. “Maybe someone educated in music might appreciate it, or someone a little older who likes that style of jazz, or someone who is familiar with Spike Jones. You may have to take it in small bites and digest it. But children totally love it.” Another goal of the foundation is to interact with kids and have a children’s fund. One concert Roufberg was involved with was based on the excitement of improv for kids—children were handed instruments and told how to play them without any constraints. “Music is in you, not on the paper” was the theme. Other funding goals are setting up children’s scholarships and working with the local school districts in purchasing instruments or music lessons for students.

The wit behind Roufberg is not just in the music, but in the performance of it as well. On the CD, there’s laughter in the audience—the musicians were messing with each other, pushing themselves to a physical extreme. They tried to cut each other off, or jump out of playing to put pressure on someone else, or speed up for no reason. On one track, all the players conspire against the bassist and simply stop playing, leaving Roufberg to do an amazing solo while they laugh. “Thanks for leaving me to do this alone,” he says. And yet it was just another frame of the cartoon.

ERF! FLAMBOOMPH! Roufberg delved deeply into the musically absurd, but he was also a gentle jester. “He was extraordinarily comical,” says Adam, “but he was a pacifist by all means—a vegan actually—a very gentle, intelligent creature. He was a genius with an extremely high IQ. If he wasn’t making fun or music, he was preaching some wisdoms about how to interact with people. That’s definitely represented in his music. People looked up to him and respected him. He was a band leader, but he was a lot more than that. I don’t want to say he was a spiritual guru, because he wasn’t in a formal sense, but people respected his opinion on dealing with life matters. When we die, we want to look back on ourselves and be comfortable with our actions. I think Dave could look back and say he did it right.”

Through his older brother’s influence, Adam, a physics teacher and public speaker, created and maintains The Four Reasons to Impeach Bush Web site (thefourreasons.org), which provides a clearinghouse of resources to help people find answers to the “incessant stream of madness billowing from the NeoClown Coup,” e.g.: the effects of depleted uranium, the Project for the New American Century, and the Bush administration’s plans for a new nuclear arsenal.

“I continually seek strength from Dave because he was a person of such tremendous moral integrity,” says Adam. “He was so spiritually, and incredibly, wise. I believe that he projected himself outta here. In a strange and twisted way, sometimes we’re stronger when we’re not actually physically present.”

For more information on upcoming tribute concerts, to donate to the Capt. X Fund, or to purchase the CD, call (845) 658-8997, e-mail adam@thefourreasons.org, or respond to P.O. Box 36, Croton-on-Hudson, NY 10520. And, as always, the Foundation calls for musical collaborations in the spirit of artistic liberation everywhere.