UK Jazz News

Unleashed Cooperation – ‘Trust’

Unleashed Cooperation set what you might call a leisurely pace for their new releases; fans have had to wait more than two years for ‘Trust’, their second album.

“8 Years”, released in 2022, was a success, and led to a string of live dates, both in the quintet’s native Poland and further afield, and their tour to promote the new album is just as international: it includes a performance in Egypt. Also noteworthy is that Unleashed Cooperation has been selected to perform one of the showcases at the 2025 edition of jazzahead!

‘Trust’ is a continuation and development of the music heard on the debut album, and features eight tracks – six original compositions plus two improvised miniatures – with the entire album lasting just under fifty minutes. Half of the material was created with the participation of the band’s special (and extraordinary) guest, outstanding vocalist and improviser Anna Gadt.

A well-integrated combination of jazz and improvisation, with influences from contemporary and ethnic music, allows the band to create a unique, easily recognizable style. Individual tracks sometimes captivate with delicate melodic expression, and at others prove intriguing, not least because of unexpected solutions and openness of form.

The tracks involving Anna Gadt are particularly outstanding. In the two miniatures, the interplay between her voice and the wind instruments – Krzysztof Kuśmierek (saxophones) Patryk Rynkiewicz (trumpet) takes centre stage. The duet introduction to Mr. Paul’s Beautiful Dream features a fascinating exchange between vocals and piano (Patryk Matwiejczuk).

The opening track String Theory is another standout, attracting attention with its compelling solo parts and expertly crafted secondary layers: a bassline (Flavio Gullotta) complementing the piano solo, and a piano line underpinning the drum solo (Stanisław Aleksandrowicz). The saxophone and trumpet also provide a perfectly coordinated intro and outro that bookend the piece beautifully.

It is a pleasure to see how Unleashed Cooperation is solidifying and developing. ‘Trust’ is an excellent album, and also clearly demonstrates how progress can be made while keeping true to a specific artistic path. Congratulations!

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