“Mali Obomsawin’s ‘Sweet Tooth’ is one of those albums that utterly defy expectation or convention – it occupies its own universe, arriving from leftfield to blow your mind” — David Morrison, Folk Radio UK
“Obomsawin sings in Abenaki on tunes that seamlessly meld chorale-like spiritual, folk melodies, and post-Albert Ayler free jazz in a thoroughly convincing fashion. It’s a knockout, rich in context and substance, with a mission that fuels its most exploratory impulses.” — Peter Margasak, The Quietus
“Odanak First Nation’s Mali Obomsawin tells Indigenous stories through music.” NPR’s All Things Considered, 2022
“[Obomsawin is] a bassist-as-bandleader [who] never renders Sweet Tooth a self-serving affair, despite her name being on the sleeve. Rather, Obomsawin remains the central pillar in the architecture, allowing the rest of the group to shine on their own terms. Sweet Tooth may be Obomsawin's debut, but it never feels tentative. The compositions and performances meet at a similar high watermark. . . . It not only works as potent commentary on indigenous heritage, autonomy and experiences, but as gripping, dynamic and thunderous music in and of itself."
– Morgan Enos, Jazz Times
Sweet Tooth is The Guardian’s Folk Album of the Month for November, 2022
Sweet Tooth is the Critic’s Choice in UK’s Financial Times:
“Horns and a bass clarinet variously combine in funereal laments, unbridled gusts of free jazz, and mellow contemplation…We don’t have to know about Abenaki history to be drawn into the album’s world.” – The Financial Times
“A rising jazz star.” — Gothamist
“Sweet Tooth is rich in history and soaring musicianship.” — Rachel Cholst, No Depression
“The jazz-infused Sweet Tooth introduces [Obomsawin] as an innovative music visionary while also posting her as an important social voice for native people.” — Dan Oullette
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Maine Magazine Feature
July 2022 Feature: Bandleader, composer, and musician Mali Obomsawin draws from her musical upbringing and Wabanaki heritage in her debut compositional suite, “Sweet Tooth.”
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NEFA Announces 2022 Grant Recipients
A composer, a playwright and a collective of artists committed to repairing relationships between Wabanaki people and non-Natives are the Maine recipients of grant funding awarded this week by the New England Foundation for the Arts.
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2022 International Folk Music Awards recipient: Rising Tide Award
The Rising Tide Award was launched in 2021 to celebrate a new generation (under 30) artist who inspires others by embodying the values and ideals of the folk community through their creative work, community role, and public voice.
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Will America Make Room For Indigenous Musicians?
GRAMMY.COM interviews several leading Indigenous musicians about their experiences. (2021)