From Press Release:

Robert Walter is an accomplished keyboardist and composer. He plays Piano, Hammond B3 and Fender Rhodes. While touring extensively in the US and Europe, he has worked as a leader and sideman with many of the giants of American jazz and funk music.

Robert grew up in San Diego, California where he studied music from the age of 7 and began performing in bands as a teenager. He helped form the the Greyboy Allstars in 1993 with Karl Denson, Elgin Park, Chris Stillwell, Zak Najor and DJ Greyboy. Influenced by soul-jazz and funk records from the 1960s and 70s, the band juxtaposed jazz improvisation and dance music.

In the late 1990’s Robert started his own group Robert Walter’s 20th Congress to showcase his composing. The band became known for it’s live performances and toured throughout the 90s and 2000’s.

During this period Robert also recorded There Goes the Neighborhood with jazz-funk pioneers Harvey Mason, Chuck Rainey, Phil Upchurch and Red Holloway. Robert relocated to New Orleans in 2004 and became immersed the vibrant local music scene. He began collaborating with Johnny Vidacovich, Stanton Moore, James Singleton, George Porter Jr., and many more.

While in New Orleans he recorded Super Heavy Organ and Cure All as well as albums with Stanton Moore(III, Emphasis on Parenthesis, Groove Alchemy) and Anders Osborne(American Patchwork).

Robert currently lives in Los Angeles where he works on film music with composer Michael Andrews. They have done scores for Bridesmaids, Bad Teacher, Walk Hard(the Dewey Cox Story) Cyrus, Jeff Who lives at Home, She’s Out of Your League, 5 Year Engagement and the title song for the Fox comedy The New Girl(with Zooey Deschanel).

Resident Walter
June 6th
Robert Walter and Joe Russo Duo

June 13th
Robert Walter’s 20th Congress – Robert Walter, Cheme Gastelum (Sharon Jones), Chris Stillwell (Greyboy Allstars), Chuck Prada (Black Eyed Peas), and Simon Lott (George Porter jr.).

June 20th
Robert Walter Trio w/ Aaron Redfield (Greyboy Allstars), Reed Mathis (Jacob Fred Jazz)

June 27th
Robert Walter Trio w/ Stanton Moore and Jonathan Freilich

More info here. Also, Stanton Moore residency at The Mint coming in July.

From Press Release:

Billy Martin and Wil Blades wanna make you Shimmy. The organ/drums duo waste no time getting right down to it on their debut album due May 22 from The Royal Potato Family in collaboraton with Martin’s own Amulet Records.

Martin and Blades go old school in the tradition of essential organ-groove sides by the likes of Charles Earland, Brother Jack McDuff and Groove Holmes. Martin, the drummer for the legendary Medeski, Martin & Wood, and Blades, a much buzzed about young organist from the San Francisco live music scene, first came together for a low-key, one-off late night set during the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in 2011. The music that evening was so deep in the pocket that the pair knew instantly there would be more shows together in their future. A West Coast tour was arranged for later in the year, which played to packed houses from Washington to California. In the middle of the run, Martin and Blades ducked into a Berkeley recording studio to capture what would become Shimmy.

“We had about seven hours to record as much music as we could and hoped to get a full record out of it,” explains Martin. “We were burning the candle bright, touring down the coast from Seattle. By the time we hit the studio we had about five gigs behind us and were well warmed up with the material we were developing.”

“It never crossed my mind to start a duo with another organist because I had just celebrated 20 years with my good friend and partner John Medeski. The last thing I wanted to do was make a commitment to another keyboardist,” says Martin. “But after that gig in New Orleans, I knew it was in the stars for Wil and I to collaborate. You never know what’s around the corner. With all the changes this planet has been through, you have to follow the signs when it all comes together like that.”

Saturday, June 2nd at The Mint, 9pm. More info here. Also at The Mint in June: Robert Walker residency