Mali Obomsawin is a bassist, composer, vocalist and citizen of Odanak First Nation. Obomsawin's increasingly broad body of work spans jazz and roots music, indie rock and experimental sound.
An international touring artist and celebrated accompanist, her current projects include her eponymous free-jazz ensemble, the rock band Deerlady, and the Julia Keefe Indigenous Big Band. Obomsawin's expansive practice models 21st century Indigeneity, challenging the complacency of our times with lush, bombastic, and at times haunting compositions.
Mali has been blessed to study and perform with notable musicians including Esperanza Spalding, Raven Chacon, Taylor Ho Bynum, Dave Holland, Angelica Sanchez, Kris Davis, Billy Hart, Jeff Parker, Peter Apfelbaum, Craig Harris, Bill Cole, Althea Sully-Cole, Tomas Fujiwara, Mike Formanek, and more…
photo by Bren Wyona
BACKGROUND
Obomsawin’s stunning 2022 debut Sweet Tooth received international acclaim and was named best of the year by GRAMMY.com, JazzTimes, NPR and more. Sweet Tooth’s success brought Obomsawin’s touring band to major venues and festivals across the US and Canada, and landed her a triple-feature in the soundtrack of FX’s hit series Reservation Dogs. Mali’s sophomore album “Greatest Hits” by her rock project Deerlady (with Magdalena Abrego) was released in 2024, which NPR’s Lars Gotrich called a “headbang while you weep” record. It was voted best of the year by Stereogun and NPR. In December 2024, Mali’s score on the award winning National Geographic documentary Sugarcane (dir. by Julian Brave Noisecat and Emily Kassie) was released by Hollywood Records, and the film was nominated for the Academy Awards’ “Best Documentary Feature” in 2025.
Dartmouth College (2018). Savannah Music Festival: Acoustic Music Seminar alum, (2017, 2018.) International Music Creators+ Collaborators Workshop (2024).