Robert Walter
Robert Walter has built a reputation as one of America’s heaviest jazz-funk keyboardists. As a founding member of the Greyboy Allstars, he toured throughout North America and Europe with the group for five years. along the way, He contributed to the soundtrack of the major motion picture “Zero Effect” and has performed and recorded with such jazz and funk heavyweights as Fred Wesley, Gary Bartz, Melvin Sparks, Andy Bey and Reuben Wilson.
Now 30 years of age, Robert leads a new band with a new groove and a rapidly growing following. Robert Walter’s 20th Congress features Robert on electric piano and organ, Cochemea “Cheme” Gastelum on alto sax, electric sax and flute, Chris Stillwell on bass and George Sluppick on drums. They’ve been touring the United States and Canada since November 1998 and have just released their debut full-length recording “Money Shot” on San Francisco’s Fog City Records.
The 20th Congress sound is often labeled “groove jazz”, although on a song by song basis the band’s center of gravity may be more precisely called funk, soul jazz, or boogaloo. All of that genre cross-pollination (and some heavy experimentation with echo and effects) might make “fusion” a better label for the band, if it weren’t for the unfortunate “studio nerd” image that the term is now associated with. While Robert’s own songwriting (and Cheme’s solos) may have a harmonic complexity that is found more often in mid-70s fusion than in most of today’s “funk bands”, the Twentieth Congress’ rhythm section cultivates a vibe from an earlier, sweatier jazz tradition. As Robert puts it, “the problem I have with some of the hardcore jazzbos is that they seem sort of cookie-cutter in their attitude towards other forms of music and composition. I like to play around with ideas, and get into improvisation and all that, but it’s got to be something that makes people move. And that’s really where jazz started out. People forget that.”
Growing up, Walter attended the School of Creative and Performing Arts in San Diego, studying classical harmony and piano. He played in many blues and rock bands and was a founding member of the San Diego funk band Daddy Long Leggs. In addition to his jazz and funk pursuits, Walter regularly performs on rock records, including three albums by avant punk group Creedle and an upcoming A&M records release by folk pop songwriter Gary Jules.
Last fall the band opened for Herbie Hancock in Boulder, Colorado. According to the Colorado Daily’s Dave Kirby, “Walter’s set was a clean, tight, tough-as-nails serving of funk-based jazz and post-swing near bop, and judging by the reaction of the unusually receptive crowd, Walter and his bass-drums-sax outfit absolutely nailed one of the biggest gigs of his life.”
