[rating=8.0]
In its latest incarnation, Robert Walter’s 20th Congress may be a slightly realigned and augmented version of The Greyboy Allstars, of which he is a founding member. But as captured on Get Thy Bearings, this band has as much of a distinct, albeit understated personality, as its leader.
Recorded around the same general timeframe as the excellent Greyboy Allstars’ from early 2013, the nine tracks kick in immediately on “Hunk,” as Walter’s keyboards, guitar by Elgin Park and saxophones from Karl Denson and Cochemea Gastelum, rise to a crescendo, then break formation around the tune’s refrain. Percussion from Chuck Prada helps guide the track to as emphatic a conclusion as the no-nonsense start of “Little Business.” On the pre-mentioned track, Walter turns to the piano here, before reverting to organ during the course of which transition his instruments contrast the horns in a Memphis twist. These men may be rooted on the left coast, but they know where their roots are.
As much as King Curtis and Jr. Walker would admire the groove 20th Congress digs there, they’d also appreciate the cinematic quality of the title track, where Walters’ keyboards conjure drama as they alternate over Aaron Redfield’s assertive drums. As much as the leader’s ongoing soundtrack collaborations with Mike Andrews, nee Park, have nurtured a gift for structured themes the likes of which “Dog Party” is built upon, those projects haven’t made him overcautious. Turn up this sucker on “Foxhunting,” and it’s impossible not to feel the life coursing through this vigorous musicianship.
Recorded with a minimum of overdubs, Get Thy Bearings nevertheless evinces a discernible thought in its track sequencing as much as its audio mix. The album hits the home stretch with the reflective likes of “Inversion Layer,” where its changes are ripe for extended improvisation from the stage even as this compact arrangement emphasizes its various melodic and rhythmic motifs. If headphone listening to this album ever occurs, it will invariably happen here, so to catch the detail of the instrumentation on “Crux” just as The 20th Congress shifts as one into high gear toward an appropriately atmospheric conclusion.
Jimi Hendrix’ “Up From the Skies,” from Axis: Bold As Love is perhaps the loosest cut here, yet it illustrates the chemistry of The 20th Congress in terms as vivid as anything that’s receded it (not to mention suggesting how far the range of the group’s influences extend outside purely R & B roots). The six musicians emerge from a maelstrom of sound evincing a collective trust that acts as a spontaneous yet emphatic punctuation to this well-conceived and executed set of tracks.
