Keyboardist Robert Walter has announced the forthcoming reissue of his 1996 debut album, Spirit of 70, which will be re-released on limited edition colored vinyl and digital formats via Royal Potato Family on May 7th.

The eight-track album, which has been out of print in recent years, was initially planned and released as part of a series of solo albums from members of the soulful jazz collective The Greyboy Allstars, who played on the album alongside the acclaimed jazz saxophonist Gary Bartz.

“We loved the ‘Harlem Bush Music’ albums by Gary Bartz. Somehow the idea became to have Gary on the next record, which would be mine to lead,” Walter mentioned in a press statement relating to how the album’s personnel lineup came to be at that time. “He was a hero for us because of his lucid improvisations, deep connection to blues and heavy spiritual vibe. My contributions to The Greyboy Allstars at the time had been tending more strange and meditative, so it seemed like a great fit.”

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“We had been touring heavily at the time so the band had an easy chemistry, but this was my first album as a leader, so I was both nervous and star-struck by the presence of Gary Bartz,” Walter continued in reminiscing about the album’s recording sessions. “Before long the tension eased and the recording was fun and loose. I remember Gary playing one great solo after another while we just tried to get a mistake-free take behind him. I learned from the sustained flow of invention in Gary’s playing. It made me want to become a better and more true improviser.”

The Greyboy Allstars returned triumphantly in 2020 with the July release of the band’s first studio album in seven years, Como De Allstars. Walter also teamed up with guitarist/producer Eddie Roberts (The New Mastersounds) and drummer Adam Deitch to release a new single in November under their W.R.D. Trio moniker with “Sleep Depraved”.

Click here for album pre-order options on Walter’s Bandcamp page.