I Love to Tour!
DateLine: February 23, 2026
I love to tour.
So when it came time for me to plan my next trip to Japan as a hired gun, I called the promoter to find out when we would be leaving for the islands in the Land of the Rising Sun. “Hey there”, I said enthusiastically, “when do we leave for Japan”? The promoter replied, ”We are leaving on December 12th, and you’re not”. *Click*
I put down the phone, waded in the pause for just a few seconds. Then, I said out loud to no one there, “I’ll never let that happen again”. I decided that my next tour would be focused on my own show, my own music. So I dug up a number of folders that contained songs I had written and completed, ideas that were not yet finished, notebooks of thoughts, life events, and sketches of tunes.
Coincidentally, while I was bouncing back and forth to Japan, I was working with a rhythm section for hire, much like the Funk Brothers from Motown, but without a home-base studio. We were recording tracks for artists who were writing and covering tunes. We developed this into a fairly lucrative venture. I had also started picking up work for hire by other artists simply in need of a keyboard player. At the same time, Dave Renz, a long-time friend and collaborator had begun to record more of his own compositions on Saxophone. We worked on several recordings together, some works for hire, in addition to performing local gigs featuring our respective original compositions.
I began working hard at recording my songs in my home studio, The BeanStalk. I played everything on keyboards; horns, piano, strings, bass, guitar parts. I used computerized rhythm parts when they worked well with the feel of the tune. In the process of recording one song, I would write three more! I knew I had to be prolific if I were to make this work. I worked with as many Philadelphia artists as I could: Georgie Bonds, Neil Taylor, Forest Glen, Randy Lippencott, of course, my favorite sax man, Dave Renz.
For one of our recording sessions with the mighty rhythm section, we booked time with Glenn Barratt, owner and master engineer at Morning Star Studios. It had been a while since I had seen Glenn, so he gave me the nickel tour of his new location. He pointed out his Neve Genesis mixing board. (I have been enamored with the sound of Rupert Neve’s gear since the 80’s)
Following that recording session, I called to ask Glenn about helping mix and master 32 songs that I had written and recorded. Long story short, Glenn became my partner in creating a sound that would attract the attention of a DJ in Kansas City MO. When I released the first of two albums, Ricky Colston called me to say he was going to start playing six of the songs on what I called my “Bakers Dozen” CD. I had not thought about radio when I recorded these songs, but the path was opening up and becoming very clear!
Many events and opportunities started to pop up as a result of the work I have taken on. Stepping stones toward a goal that is taking shape as I continue to follow the breadcrumbs. Michael Tozzi, the Philadelphia Radio Celebrity and Promoter of all things Music, was the next person who pushed me forward. He gave me sound advice to guide my journey; the most important being, “ find a Promoter to help you get on Radio”. Another call to Ricky Colston, and I secured the phone number for Adam Leibowitz. Adam is a renowned Smooth Jazz Radio Promoter. He was the second promoter I called. I cannot express how fortunate I was to find him so quickly. Adam told me my material did not fit neatly in the Smooth Jazz Genre. However, he was confident that he could get DJs around the country and abroad to check out my song titled “Back It Up”. Back It Up became the most popular song of the three singles we sent out.
It debuted on the iHeart Radio Network, terrestrial and internet radio stations, in April of 2019.
It continues to get airplay today!
Two more singles would follow: “Why Dontcha Do It” and “No Doubt”. Both did pretty well, racking several spins and streams on radio and internet platforms.. As the meager royalties intermittently arrive, I found out that the Copyright Laws, the very process designed to protect my intellectual property, actually provide exemptions to the record companies and radio stations. While the singles are, thankfully, introducing my music to more listeners, the companies that are now using my compositions, and the compositions of other artists, are making huge profits. I began collecting, writing and organizing 40 new songs to record. Somewhere, sometime, during this 5 year period, I remembered why I started down this road. Ultimately, I wanted to tour again.
Music is a living art, like poetry, born to be performed, crafted to be heard.
I was faced with the task of putting together the best band I could. A group of people that can play any style, every type of venue, and isn’t hesitant to travel to spread the sound of Evolutionary Jazz. CounterParts was a duo act that Dave Renz and I formed many years ago to perform in the Philadelphia area and feature our original compositions. CounterParts is now a quartet, complete with the talents of Dave Mohn on drums, and Jack Hegyi on bass. As we rehearse, the guys are excited about the challenging nature of my songs. This Coterie of Collaborative Creatives was born on stage in April of 2024. We performed 14 new songs on the 13th of April. That first performance yielded CounterParts: Live in Elkins Park. This full length concert video is available exclusively for download on this website. The sizzle reel is available for view as part of our Press Kit, also presented on www.walterrunge.com
I am thrilled to say that this band, CounterParts, is ready to perform in theaters and concert halls around the country and, indeed, the world. We will not be satisfied becoming part of a Genre of Music. We are ready to create a Whole New Genre of Music. We begin with Evolutionary Jazz!
