October 24 will see the Polish band Unleashed Cooperation play at the 13th Jazz in Albania Festival in Tirana. The concert is organized as part of JAZZ PO POLSKU “Around the World”.
Unleashed Cooperation concerts in Albania are a part of the JAZZ PO POLSKU “Around the World” project, inspired by the feats of Paweł Edmund Strzelecki, a traveler who was the first Pole to circumnavigate the World in mid 1800s out of his own initiative. The Poznań-based quintet will attend the Jazz festival in Albania on October 24 at the University of Arts / Black Box Hall at 8 PM. The band includes Krzysztof Kuśmierek – sax, Patryk Rynkiewicz – trumpet, Patryk Matwiejczuk – piano, Flavio Gullotta – double bass, and Stanisław Aleksandrowicz – drums.
Unleashed Cooperation on its artistic road tries to explore various forms of musical articulation. Their focal ideas are generic openness, freedom and free musical expression. They are laureates of several of Poland’s major jazz festivals, including Jazz Juniors, Jazz nad Odrą and Krokus Jazz Festival. The band put out a very well received “8 Years” album. The 2022 LP released by Multikulti Project is the effect of many years of experience and musical searches the band has had in the sea of free jazz, improvisation and ethnic music.
„When we formed the band we wanted the word “cooperation” to be its important element. To us it has a symbolic meaning both in terms of music and as a social aspect. We believe that through collective actions we are able to change the surrounding world for the better” – said the band’s sax player, Krzysztof Kuśmierek.
During the concerts in Albania the band will promote its new album “Trust”, which makes yet another step in the musical search involving improvisation, modern and ethnic music, and jazz. The whole – kept in an acoustic environment – relates to music known from the recordings of Tomasz Stańko and Krzysztof Komeda. The quintet, as a spiritual successor of the great masters, develops their sound through a series of production measures, adding a modern and fresh vibe to the entirety.
The JAZZ PO POLSKU „Around the World” project, which includes the live shows of Unleashed Cooperation in Albania, has taken the form of an international concert tour that has Polish artists play live on 4 continents within a 3-year period. The project kicked-off in May 2023 and has so far included more than 150 events in 21 countries, which involved 21 bands. It is already the second visit of a Polish jazz band in Albania as part of the “Around the World” project. Last year it was ZIEMIA who played in Tirana and Shoder.
Unleashed Cooperation’s concerts in Albania are organized by the JAZZ PO POLSKU Foundation within the “Around the World” project in collaboration with the Polish Embassy in Tirana and the Albanian Jazz Society. The honorary patronage over the project has been taken by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Its partners include: Adam Mickiewicz Institute, Polish Airlines – LOT, the Industrial Development Agency Foundation and the Economic Diplomacy Institute Foundation. Strategic partner is: Marshal’s Office of the Podlaskie Voivodeship. Media patrons: Polish Radio Program 3 (Trójka), Jazz Forum Magazine and Warsaw Insider.
JAZZ PO POLSKU Foundation is a non-governmental organization that presents a wide spectrum of opportunities for Polish artists of the younger generation. It helps in establishing international cultural collaboration and integrates artistic circles from many countries. It strives to refresh and consolidate the image of Polish jazz in the consciousness of foreign listeners. Since 2012 the JAZZ PO POLSKU project has organized over 500 events in 25 countries, involving 200 musicians. It is also a platform for Poland-based shows given by Polish and foreign artists alike.