I wrote in January about the important but hidden connections between Americana music and jazz, and little did I know at the time that an exemplary recording had recently been released. Now I’ve discovered Sweet Tooth, a mostly instrumental suite for jazz sextet from bass player and singer Mali Obomsawin. Folk music fans may know her as a member of the excellent former trio Lula Wiles (with Eleanor Buckland and Isa Burke), but with this debut project, Obomsawin proves she’s also a visionary composer. She steps into the spotlight with a story to tell about her roots in the Abenaki First Nation at Odanak, part of Canada’s Wabanaki Confederacy.
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