The Bobby Hamilton Quintet Unlimited
Dream Queen

Trumpeter and composer Nick Walters returns to 22a with his second album for the label - a free and spiritual journey into avant-garde jazz!'Active Imagination' is the result of the bringing together of musicians for a day in the studio, with minimal rehearsal, to collectively experiment and improvise in the moment - in contrast to the more composed and structured recordings of the Paradox Ensemble album 'Awakening' released on 22a back in January of this year. All musicians contributed their distinctive and individual voices, creating a united force of spiritual, free-form jazz. Each composition is based on a different mode, all with their own unique flavour:‘So Long Chef’ is a nod to jazz legend John Coltrane, with its chords jumping by major thirds, before a more static middle section, offering a chance for Walters and Jeff Guntren (tenor sax) to explore its Lydian mode.‘Ahimsa’ is a meditative reflection and group improvisation, based around a simple theme in the Mixolydian mode, resulting in a spiritual journey steered by Rebecca Nash’s hypnotic piano solo.‘Gordian Knot’ was conceived as a vehicle for Ed Cawthorne (aka Tenderlonious) to cut loose on soprano sax in the Phrygian mode, which he achieves with devastating effect, backed up by Nim Sadot’s infectious bass hook and complimented by an equally striking trumpet solo from the band leader.Finally ‘Dansoman Last Stop’ uses the Dorian mode to channel the spirit of a bustling travel interchange in southern Accra, Ghana. Inspired by Walters journey through West Africa several years ago it features another exquisite trumpet solo from the leading man.This one off session perfectly captures the essence of Walters’ experiences and influences in life. In his first album, ‘Awakening,’ and with this new record, you can hear this is a man at the top of his game, inspired by his life experiences. His playing with West African fusion bands and travelling the world can be felt in each ofthese compositions. He is arguably one of the most sought after and respected musicians in the UK Jazz scene, ‘Active Imagination’ will further enhance those claims!

Wewantsounds is delighted to announce the reissue of Ziad Rahbani's cult album, "Bennesbeh Labokra...Chou?" released in Lebanon only and mixing arabic music with Jazz, Bossa Nova and other western influences. Hailed as an absolute classic, the album is the soundtrack to his eponymous play and has been highly sought-after by DJs and collectors around the world. Curated by Lebanese-born music expert Mario Choueiry from Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris, the album is reissued on vinyl for the first time since 1978, featuring original gatefold sleeve, remastered audio and a 2 page insert with a new introduction by Choueiry.

Gyedu-Blay Ambolley and Hi-Life Jazz is the new album from revered Ghanaian highlife and Simigwa Do exponent Gyedu-Blay Ambolley, known for his deep, soulful, and funky highlife sound and sometimes referred to as the “James Brown of Ghana.” Gyedu-Blay Ambolley and Hi-Life Jazz jumps right out of the blocks with 3 straight-up, groove-laden highlife numbers in Sankumagye, Yekor Ye A Yea and Enyidado, a spontaneous mix of Afro-soul and groove with Ambolley's deep tonal and vocal interventions giving a sense that the influence of Afro-American soul music is never far away. Things continue to heat up as the maestro and bandleader approaches various songs from the songbook of classic modern jazz. The rhythmic pulse within each standard is pushed and pulled, ensuring the original is recognisable yet rooted in Ambolley's ancestral home. In John Coltrane’s Love Supreme he proclaims “John Coltrane said love is supreme & we heard him in Africa very loud and clear.” Taking a very different but direct approach filled with Ghanaian swing Ambolley matches the colours and energy with a rhythmic dexterity and an African spiritual sensitivity that immediately draws you in, allowing a space for the spiritual to rise. The Wayne Shorter classic Footprints receives a similar treatment - it's a toe-tapping workout that leaves you wanting more. Round Midnite, a Thelonious Monk staple, has been covered so many times as a ballad yet here Ambolley gives things an uptempo re-work, a wholly unique inception that makes total sense when you hear it. All Blues by Miles Davis is a well-loved staple of jazz players the world over and is known as a vehicle for endless improvisations and here, in the hands of this master craftsman, is a mesmerising and unapologetic dance floor journey.

Foshe and Bentley are two separate entities who regularly collaborate in their home city of Sydney. Foshe create fully improvised polyrhythmic-afro-Latin-synth-ambient-jazz-house. The trio have been gigging heavily from 2018, engaging in energetic weekly residencies, and supporting artists from Lonnie Liston Smith to the 30/70 collective, Horatio Luna and ZFEX, GODTET and more.Mike Bentley is a drummer who collaborates with friends around Sydney/Melbourne, creating deeply groovy, rhythmically hypnotic journeys through jazz, hip hop and house, inspired by the likes of Kamaal Williams & Vijay Iyer. Producing modern jazz-house combined with odd time signatures, Mike was a key driving force behind this set of new, live recordings.The ‘Parlour Cucina’ album is the result of a live residency at the Sydney venue of the same name. The residency was split between sets with the regular Foshe trio (Mike, Zigi, Tom) and open collaborations with other artists through Bentley.