Maciej Obara Quartet ft. Mathias Eick

Polish-Scandinavian ECM quartet joins forces with lyrical trumpeter.

After three albums on ECM — Unloved, Three Crowns, and Frozen Silence — alto saxophonist Maciej Obara expands his Polish-Scandinavian quartet with trumpeter Mathias Eick, one of the most recognizable voices in contemporary European jazz. Eick has built an impressive catalog under his own name with the albums The Door, Skala, Midwest, Ravensburg, and When We Leave, all released on the same label.

For this new lineup, Obara wrote a series of compositions that he presents with us, together with Eick, pianist Dominik Wania, bassist Ole Morten Vågan, and drummer Gard Nilssen. The encounter juxtaposes two temperaments: the spacious, lyrical trumpet playing of Eick against the expressive, charged sound of Obara’s alto saxophone. The music of the quintet remains largely improvised: the compositions are starting points that the musicians develop on the spot.

Mathias Eick trumpet, Maciej Obara alto saxophone, Dominik Wania piano, Ole Morten Vågan double bass, Gard Nilssen drums