ROBERT
WALTER - Hammond Organ, Fender Rhodes, Piano,
Synthesizers, Samples, Programming, Effects
COCHEMEA
GASTELUM - Alto Sax, Amplified Alto Sax,
Flute, Bass Clarinet, Effects
WILL BERNARD - Guitar
CHUCK PRADA
- Percussion
JOE RUSSO - Durms (1,3, 6, 7)
GEORGE SLUPPICK - Drums (2, 3, 4, 5, 8,
10, 11, 12)
CHRIS STILLWELL - Bass (1, 2, 3, 7)
MIKE FRANTANTUNO - Bass (9)
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On his new record,
Giving Up the Ghost, Robert Walter has added a new talent
to his recording lineup. Known for his work with such
jazz/soul/funk giants as Mike Clark of Herbie Hancock's
Headhunters, legendary James Brown and P-Funk sideman
and songwriter, Fred Wesley, and George Porter of the
Meters, this time out Walter enlisted another player
for his latest album -- the studio.
"I collect
records. I'm into recordings," says Walter. "From
doing home recordings, I started experimenting with
different sounds, and I decided I wanted to do something
more interesting than just record the band. On this
album, I tried using the studio as an instrument. It's
involved in the music and an important part of making
this record what it is. I move things around, change
elements. On some tracks, there's no soloing at all,
and all of the solos are downplayed in favor of creating
a mood, a sonic texture."
Joined by Joe Russo
and George Sluppick on drums; Greyboy Allstar Chris
Stillwell and Black-Eyed Pea Mike Fratantuno on bass;
Will Bernard (of TJ Kirk fame) on guitar; percussionist
Chuck Prada, and long-time partner Cochemea Gastelum
on alto sax and various woodwinds, Walter explores new
territory, incorporating elements of electronic music
and dub reggae into his traditional R&B and jazz
roots, all powered by the flavor of his vintage Fender
Rhodes and Hammond B-3 organ. The result is a new hybrid
that's distinctly Robert Walter, which is to say, the
sound combines just about every form of music into a
driving, syncopated groove that will move fans of jazz,
soul, blues, roots rock and, yes, those ever-in-motion
jam band dance fanatics.
"I've always
been interested in anything that deals with rhythm and
improvisation," says Walter. "Anything that
combines is satisfying to me. It doesn't necessarily
have to fit into one genre or another. This new record
is definitely an attempt to bring in some modern influences."
Walter's eclectic
musical roots trace back to his San Diego home town,
where he broke into the business doing blues dates with
his stepfather, a working bar band musician.
From there, he expanded
into a series of bands that played everything from George
Clinton to electronic punk, constantly experimenting
and searching for new sounds while staying true to the
primal elements of the Booker T and Ramsey Lewis records
he grew up on.
Then came the epiphany
that brought it all together.
"There was
a bar in San Diego called the Green Circle Bar,"
Walter recalls. "I had gotten a call from a friend
of mine about doing this project for this guy, DJ Greyboy,
who spun old records, basically like '60s and '70s jazz
records. I went into the place and heard all this music
and quickly realized that I had been wanting to hear
that music all along but didn't know where it was."
Walter soon found
out. He became an original member of the Greyboy Allstars,
a band whose explosive improvisations made them the
a founding father of the acid-jazz revolution of the
mid-90’s and a force in live music around the
world.
In 1996 he released
his first solo album, Spirit of ’70. Since then
constant touring and recording with his band 20th Congress,
earning him a place among the keepers of the jazz-soul
flame.
"Our music
has more in common with what jazz people are doing than
what a band like Phish is doing," says Walter.
Spotted from the stage among his audience: "DJ
kids into '70s funk records, the hippie contingency,
and some older people into jazz." All are drawn
together by one unifying. element. "There's always
something that's going to happen to keep you interested
in coming to more than one show," says Walter.
While respecting
that legacy, Walter has grown, and wants the world to
know that his music offers a lot more than any label
contains.
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