Master of the keys and Congressional leader Robert Walter took the 20th through its finely tuned paces at The Mint last Thursday, featuring generous portions of old and new material in support of his latest release Get Thy Bearings. Whether chomping down on his Fender Rhodes, emulating a syrupy B-3 or generating squelches and squeals that wouldn’t be out of place in 60s a sci-fi flick, Walter and the 20th (Cochemea Gastelum’s on sax and flute, drummer Simon Lott and Josh Perdue switching between bass and guitar) did what they do so well and better than so many – deliver relevant soul jazz craziness with groove aplenty and liberating freedom. The 20th continue their 2013 coastal journey with dates in northern California, Oregon and Washington through mid-September.
