Bio

Since 2017, he has been affiliated with the prestigious ECM Records, for which he recorded the critically acclaimed albums Unloved, Three Crowns (2019), and Frozen Silence (2022). These releases have solidified his position within the European improvised music scene.

Obara collaborated with the legendary Tomasz Stańko and has participated in numerous acclaimed international projects, including two albums with Gard Nilssen’s Supersonic Orchestra (If You Listen Carefully, the Music Is Yours, Odin Records; Family, We Jazz Records), Koma Saxo – Post Koma by Petter Eldh (2023, We Jazz Records), as well as a collaboration with the AUKSO Chamber Orchestra, for which he composed a concerto for saxophone, piano, and orchestra.

He continues to lead his highly regarded quartet, featuring Dominik Wania (piano), Ole Morten Vågan (double bass), and Gard Nilssen (drums). The past two years have also seen him increasingly active as a sideman, including a recording session with Kullhammar/Obara/Vågan/Mjåset Johansen, held at the legendary Atlantis Studio in Stockholm. The album is set for release in 2026.

Obara also collaborates with the Nikola Kołodziejczyk Orchestra – Studio Jazzowe Polskiego Radia, a revitalized Warsaw-based ensemble focused on improvised music.

He is the creator and leader of a special tribute project to Tomasz Stańko titled “Bluish Landscapes”, featuring Sissel Vera Pettersen (vocals), Even Sigurdsen Røstad (electronics), Ingebrigt Håker Flaten (bass), Audun Kleive (drums), Dominik Wania (piano), as well as a group of young, talented Polish musicians: Amalia Umeda (violin), Anna Szmatola (cello), and Adam Jędrysik (guitar).