Bassist

MALI OBOMSAWIN (they/she) is an award winning bassist, songwriter and composer from Abenaki First Nation at Odanak. With an expansive background in American roots, rock, and jazz, Obomsawin carries several music traditions. Mali’s debut album Sweet Tooth has received international acclaim since its release (Out of Your Head Records 2022), including rave reviews and “best of 2022” placement in The Guardian, JazzTimes, and NPR. A Smithsonian Folkways Recordings artist, they spent the years 2014-2021 touring internationally with beloved folk-rock band Lula Wiles. An in-demand bassist in the folk and jazz circuits, Mali appears often as an accompanist with contemporaries like Jake Blount and Lizzie No, and has performed at premier festivals like Newport and Philly Folk Fest. She can also be found in galleries and creative music spaces with the likes of Peter Apfelbaum, Taylor Ho Bynum, and Bill Cole's Untempered Ensemble. In addition to their artistic work, Obomsawin is a community organizer dedicated to land justice and tribal sovereignty.

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Mali Obomsawin

The Flynn

Mali Obomsawin is a bassist, singer and composer from Odanak First Nation. Her debut album Sweet Tooth (Out of Your Head Records, 2022) has garnered international acclaim, named in ‘best of the year’ lists from Grammy.com to The Guardian. Evocative and thunderous, Mali's touring XTET delivers a gripping and dynamic performance, seamlessly melding chorale-like spirituals, folk melodies, and post-Albert Ayler free jazz. Obomsawin’s ensemble occupies a musical universe completely their own, bringing skronk and reverence to every stage.

Mali Obomsawin XTET

Joe's Pub

Bassist, singer, and bandleader Mali Obomsawin performs music from their debut album Sweet Tooth, a project that shines a light on the Indigenous history of jazz and expresses the vitality and contemporary nature of Indigenous culture.

An Abenaki from Odanak First Nation, Obomsawin studied with the renowned cornetist and composer Taylor Ho Bynam at Dartmouth, an institution originally founded in the 18th century to educate the Wabanaki people, and they discovered the archived and unheard field recordings of their Odanak ancestors in storage – recordings that have been integrated into Sweet Tooth.

Mali Obomsawin

Bassist

Events

Upcoming events

Nov 7, 2024

Mali Obomsawin · San Francisco Jazz

Past events

Sep 29, 2023

Mali Obomsawin · The Flynn

Sep 22, 2023

Mali Obomsawin XTET · Public Theater

About

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