With his ECM debut, "Unloved," Maciej Obara presents a work that unites both gentle lyricism and passionate, powerful, and fiery passages. With the exception of the title track, originally written by Krzysztof Komeda for Janusz Nasfeter's film of the same name, all the pieces are by the creative alto saxophonist himself. Obara emphasizes that his compositions merely serve as starting points from which the ensemble's sound can freely unfold. He particularly highlights the ability of his fellow musicians to act as superb improvisers within open structures, shaping and coloring his musical ideas in the moment—which, for him, is akin to composing in real time. The band has further developed its concept over several years: Obara and the talented pianist Dominik Wania first met around ten years ago in Tomasz Stanko's ensemble. Since 2012, the Norwegian bassist Ole Morten Vågan and drummer Gard Nilssen have completed the quartet. The album "Unloved" was recorded in January 2017 at Rainbow Studio in Oslo, produced by Manfred Eicher. Vågan is known at ECM for his work with Thomas Strønen's project "Time Is A Blind Guide," among others, while Nilssen can be heard on Mathias Eick's album "Skala."
