Robert Walter - Super Heavy Organ

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:54
Size: 144,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:27)  1. Adelita
(3:14)  2. Kickin' Up Dust
(2:33)  3. Spell
(7:30)  4. El Cuervo
(5:12)  5. Criminals Have A Name For It
(7:15)  6. 34 Small
(3:38)  7. Don't Hate, Congratulate
(2:56)  8. Poor Tom
(6:05)  9. (smells like) Dad's Drunk Again
(4:57) 10. Big Dummy
(5:01) 11. Hardware
(9:02) 12. Cabrillo

Organist Robert Walter is best known as a founding member of the dance jazz funksters known as Greyboy Allstars. But since the mid-1990s he's also been involved in other projects, like the George Clinton tribute band The Clinton Administration featuring instrumental workups of classic Parliament and Funkadelic tunes and Robert Walter's 20th Congress, an update on 1970s jazz/funk. Super Heavy Organ is the first disc he's made since relocating to New Orleans, and by recruiting a group of notable Crescent City musicians he's created an album that not only fits comfortably in the jamband jazz/funk space he's made home all along, but also introduces some new elements as well. With bassist James Singleton and drummer Johnny Vidacovich the rhythm section for New Orleans supergroup Astral Project on seven of Walter's twelve original tunes, this "live in the studio session has a built-in chemistry. Stanton Moore previously intersecting with Walter in both The Clinton Administration and 20th Congress keeps the telepathy equally alive on the five tracks where he replaces Vidacovich. Saxophonist Tim Green may be better known in rock circles, having played with the Neville Brothers, Indigo Girls, and Peter Gabriel, but he's got some serious jazz chops. There's an immediacy about the whole record, right from the first notes of the greasy funk workout "Adelita. Walter's songs could be played by rhythm sections from anywhere and sound good, but there's a slap-happy looseness about the New Orleans approach that makes them sound great. It's less about virtuosity although there's no lack of that and more about a collective vibe.

Even singer Anthony Farrell, who appears on three tracks, isn't any kind of "lead singer. Instead, he contributes howls and moans to "Spell and some spoken word to "Don't Hate, Congratulate that are down in the mix, constituting integral parts rather than standing out. Walter's material may be groove-centric, but the group's energy and open ears keep things from becoming predictable. "El Cuerve may revolve around a two-chord vamp in 7/4, but Vidacovich and Singleton keep things fluid underneath powerful solos from both Green and Walter. "Cabrillo, the album closer and, at nine minutes, the longest piece, swings in 5/4 and evidences Walter's concerns beyond funk and soul, with a Latin vibe that's grist for one of his most purely adventurous solos on the record. Still, Walter can't forget his funk. "Hardware is down-and-dirty, with Vidacovich laying down a lazy behind-the-beat backbeat peppered by the occasional military roll, while Moore creates a huge sound behind Walter's combo of organ and clavinet on the up-tempo "Poor Tom. Walter differentiates himself from other contemporary Hammond players like Gary Versace and Larry Goldings with a purview that extends well beyond the jazz tradition. And while he shares some ties to the jamband aesthetic of MMW, Walters remains more direct. Still, with its combination of unassailable grooves filtered through a New Orleans sensibility and open-ended spontaneity, Super Heavy Organ is sure to find fans from a variety of stylistic vantages. ~ John Kelman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/super-heavy-organ-robert-walter-magnatude-records-review-by-john-kelman.php

Personnel: Robert Walter: Hammond organ, clavinet, piano, melodica, percussion; Stanton Moore: drums; Johnny Vidacovich: drums; Tim Green: tenor saxophone; James Singleton: bass. Special guest Anthony Farrell: vocals.

Super Heavy Organ

---

Robert Walter's 20th Congress - Spacesuit

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop 
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:06
Size: 83,7 MB
Art: Front

(0:23)  1. Spacesuit
(5:12)  2. Nerva and Dumbo
(4:53)  3. Posthuman
(4:21)  4. 13th Key
(4:00)  5. Emanate
(1:09)  6. Modifier
(4:27)  7. Chalk Giant
(4:37)  8. Current Futures
(6:03)  9. Most of All of Us
(0:57) 10. Electric Blanket

Keyboardist Robert Walter is like the ultimate sixth man in basketball a super-skilled player who comes off the bench to provide support and symmetry to a starting lineup. As the leader of his own 20th Congress quartet … well, he’s a great sixth man, and Spacesuit is the latest evidence thereof. A concept album of sorts inspired by the NASA program, it’s more an out-of-focus gaze skyward than a telescopic one. “Nerva and Dumbo,” named for experimental rockets, gets Spacesuit off the launch pad decently, with Walter’s Fender Rhodes electric piano echoing Herbie Hancock’s vintage ’70s funk work within bassist Victor Little and drummer Simon Lott’s shell-game rhythms and guitarist Chris Alford’s chords and solos. Yet Walter can’t resist more modern embellishments, which ultimately keep his mission grounded. Synthesizers dot the pop-ish “Posthuman” and frenetic “13th Key,” and they take away from the keyboardist’s otherwise compelling contributions on various pianos, organs, and clavinet. 

Programming also rears its head occasionally, making pieces such as “Chalk Giant” sound like an instrumental Devo tribute act. The most prominent part on “Current Futures” is a programmed white-noise drone that’s prime headache material, and the brief hidden closing track, “Electric Blanket,” is more annoying than entertaining. Walter neither needs nor uses such gimmicks on his best recorded work, like Galactic drummer Stanton Moore’s 2010 release Groove Alchemy, or in his stellar live outings with Phish bassist Mike Gordon’s band. 

The keyboardist’s best efforts, like these, are steeped in funk, a style that builds from the bottom up rather than shooting for the sky like Spacesuit. https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/robert-walters-20th-congress-spacesuit/

Spacesuit

---

Robert Walter's 20th Congress - Get Thy Bearings

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:14
Size: 90,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:01)  1. Hunk
(4:55)  2. Little Business
(2:55)  3. Get Thy Bearings
(5:01)  4. Foxhunting
(4:32)  5. Dog Party
(4:42)  6. Inversion Layer
(3:03)  7. Crux
(4:32)  8. Don't Chin the Dog
(5:30)  9. Up from the Skies

One of the unintended benefits that jazz-funk keyboard great Robert Walter received when moving back to California after a sojourn in New Orleans, was jumpstarting his 20th Congress, which had been dormant for a decade. Get Thy Bearings showcases this quintet in a series of seven originals and two covers. The title track, written by Donovan, is completely revisioned. Its spacey guitars lay down a foundation for Cochema Gastelum's alto saxophone, which blasts the lyric in the first verse with Walter's B-3 taking the second. In the codas and bridge are swelling, dramatic arcs of that border on prog with their complex rhythms and harmonies. "Hunk" (featuring guest Karl Denson on saxophone), is a hard groover with a Meters-esque rhythm via a tight backbeat by Aaron Redfield, and Elgin Park doubling on guitar and playing fat, dirty-assed bass. "Foxhunting" is even meaner. Gastelum double tracks alto and tenor in popping lines and fills as Park's bassline bumps and throbs under a rim-shot shuffle, while Walter soars over the top, filling every nook and cranny with piano and B-3. 

This is backbone-slipping jazz- funk at its best. "Dog Party" is more on the R&B tip. It sounds like a response to Quincy Jones' Sanford and Son theme song or Fat Albert's. Walter's piano solo in the middle register boxes the groove and then breaks it open with a gospel-like zeal. Speaking of gospel, check out "Crux." Its nasty bassline could have come from a blaxploitation film soundtrack scored by Johnny Pate. Walter's swirling, knotty B-3 vamps duel with Redfield's popping cymbals and snare, while Gastelum's baritone solo testifies. This jam may reach for the heavens, but it comes from the heart of the gutter. The set closer is a cosmic jazz workout on Jimi Hendrix's "Up from the Skies." Walter directly references the melody line on his organ, accenting its origins in soul. Park's strident bass counters even as it accents; it begins to break things down and carry them outside. The frenetic yet circular rhythm provided by Chuck Prada's congas are the only thing holding the tune to the floor as group improvisation grips the center. While the melody returns briefly, this one moves off the rails and into the gone. Get Thy Bearings reveals that the inherent grittiness and innovative funk laid down by the 20th Street Congress is not only present after all these years, it's braver and hungrier than ever before. ~ Thom Jurek https://www.allmusic.com/album/get-thy-bearings-mw0002544966

Personnel:  Organ, Piano, Electric Piano, Synthesizer – Robert Walter; Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Cochemea Gastelum; Drums – Aaron Redfield; Guitar, Bass – Elgin Park

Get Thy Bearings

---

Stanton Moore - Groove Alchemy

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:13
Size: 124,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:32)  1. Squash Blossom
(4:48)  2. Pie-Eyed Manc
(4:35)  3. Pot Licker
(4:46)  4. Root Cellar
(5:22)  5. Keep on Gwine
(6:17)  6. Neeps and Tatties
(3:57)  7. Up To Here
(5:09)  8. Knocker
(5:11)  9. Shiftless
(4:12) 10. Cleanse This House
(2:09) 11. Aletta
(3:09) 12. He Stopped Loving Her Today

Those expecting anything revolutionary or particularly new from Stanton Moore's trio with guitarist Will Bernard and Robert Walter on B-3 on Groove Alchemy will either be wonderfully relieved or woefully disappointed -- there isn’t. The CD is aural evidence of the trio doing what it does best: being funky and playing in a relaxed, open style that keeps the grooves tight and the musicianship at a maximum. And it's enough.Check out the guitar and organ solos in “Squash Bottom,” the first of these dozen tracks. The popping vamps create the vibe and give way naturally thanks to Moore’s deadly breaks to Bernard’s multi-string chord solo and the percussive organ flow Walter is so famous for. Things get downright Meters-esque on “Pie-Eyed Manic,” with stuttering breaks and two sets of riffs answering one another after four bars apiece. And on it goes, though “Pot Licker” is the funkiest Walter has ever sounded on the B-3. Bernard pushes his chords and leads right through the melody to let the left-hand organ bassline stick out front. Moore just rolls through and develops his grooves as he plays. There is a cover of James Booker's “Keep on Gwine” on which Walter plays piano. 

Though he does so beautifully, it’s more about Moore’s ability to let his Crescent City, second-line swing develop and carry the tune. There’s a longish cover of “Neeps and Tatties” that becomes an outright rhythm brawl between Walter and Moore, as Bernard just eases into the flow and lets the knottier side of his guitar style get into the fray all without letting the groove lilt. The real curve ball on this set is in its final track, a cover of the George Jones’ country vehicle “He Stopped Loving Her Today.” Bernard leads the way with his guitar on the melody, and Moore plays doubles on the front side rather than the backbeat. It’s still a ballad, but one that carries a distinctly New Orleans feel as it swells toward the end. Groove Alchemy is simply a good-time funky record, full of great beats, killer guitar, and nasty organ by a trio that knows how not to mess up a good thing. ~ Thom Jurek http://www.allmusic.com/album/groove-alchemy-mw0001969510

Personnel: Stanton Moore (drums); Will Bernard (guitar); Robert Walter (piano, Hammond b-3 organ)

Groove Alchemy

---

Stanton Moore - Emphasis on parenthesis

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:53
Size: 108,2 MB
Art: Front

(6:27)  1. (Late night at the) Maple Leaf
(2:56)  2. (Proper) Gander
(3:22)  3. Wissions (Of vu)
(5:10)  4. (Sifting through the) African Diaspora
(4:37)  5. Over (Compensatin)
(5:39)  6. (Smell my) Special Ingredients
(3:48)  7. (I have) Super Strength
(4:28)  8. (Who ate the) Layer Cake
(2:57)  9. Thanks! (Again)
(4:07) 10. (Put on your) Big People Shoes
(3:19) 11. (Here come) The Brown Police

When New Orleans native son Stanton Moore settles down behind his drum kit, what's sure to follow is enough electrifying energy and raw power to rebuild The Crescent City all by its own bad self.  Moore's rocking and rolling drums are pushed upfront in the mix, but they don't drown out Will Bernard's guitar and Robert Walter's keyboards. This trio is very much a democracy and there's plenty of room for each musician to go off on his own, while still staying within the framework of the band. Nothing here is meant to be taken too seriously, as Emphasis! (On Parenthesis) is all about the grooving and jamming. The real difference between "(Put On Your) Big People Shoes" and "Proper (Gander)" may be nothing more than how much longer or shorter one song is, compared to the other. Walter's deliciously bent toy piano on the loopy "Wissions (of Vu)" and Moore's funky timekeeping sound as thought they were written for an over-the-top Quentin Tarantino flick. "(Sifting Through the) African Diaspora" features a reverberating bass line that will have you searching the liner notes for the musician, but it's only Walter working the bass pedals on the Hammond B3 to perfection. "(Who Ate the) Layer Cake?" is straight-up, Jeff Beck-ish dirty rock n' roll complete with guitar riffs and thundering drum rolls. "Proper (Gander)" allows Bernard to go off on some high-flying solos as Moore anchors it all, bashing the hell out of his drums. All that's missing is a shaggy, long-haired blond lead singer (which isn't all bad). Moore can change up from funk to rock and back to jazz seamlessly, and seems equally at home with any genre he chooses. The problem for any critic with an album like Emphasis! (On Parenthesis) is they risk exposing the reader to paralysis by analysis. This isn't the kind of album you have to think about too much. Moore, Bernard and Walter are clearly having a good time and they want you to as well. This lean, mean and sassy album is meant to be played and enjoyed, not pondered. There's not a wasted moment or a bad song on this album. It's a solid contender to be on many end of the year "Best of" lists. ~ Jeff Winbush https://www.allaboutjazz.com/emphasis-on-parenthesis-stanton-moore-telarc-records-review-by-jeff-winbush.php

Personnel: Stanton Moore: drums; Will Bernard: guitar; Robert Walter: Hammond B3, piano, toy piano and clavinet; Michael Skinkus: shakere (6); Robert Wilmott Walter: vocals (7).

Emphasis on parenthesis

---

Robert Walter & His Bumpin Beats - In A Holiday Groove

Size: 76,8 MB
Time: 33:14
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2003
Styles: Acid Jazz
Art: Front

01. Santa Baby (3:26)
02. Silver Bells (3:44)
03. Winter Wonderland (3:47)
04. Jingle Bells (2:43)
05. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (3:52)
06. The Christmas Song (2:32)
07. The Dreidel Song (2:02)
08. Jingle Bell Rock (2:54)
09. Little Drummer Boy (4:36)
10. Silent Night (3:35)

Tis the season - and we've spiked your eggnog with a handful of vintage Hammond organ, some crunchy beats, and a spicy dash of our secret stash. Keyboard wizard Robert Walter is your saucy chef, and he's stirring up a family affair with multidenominational flair! So pour yourself an extra-generous portion, put on your dancing shoes, and do the camel walk into the new year! Combine one of our generation's grooviest keyboard players with the Fog City taste for strong grooves and round sounds, and you've got Robert Walter and His Bumpin' Beats. A little nostalgia, a touch of slapstick, and a whole lotta soul...a few cocktails later, and it's a holiday groove!

In A Holiday Groove

---