Jaggery

jaggery (the word comes from the dark brown, Indian sugar)is an experimental art-rock collective who work the dark edge of a genre-defying musical style (darkwave jazz?). fronted by Boston-based singer/songstress mali sastri ~ whose training in the expressive arts discipline Voice Movement Therapy is evident in her global-sized voice ~ the band suggests a classical, organic, avant-jazz-oriented Cocteau Twins or a "white witch" counter to the haunting Diamanda Galas. mali's voice can be a leaf floating in the breeze, and then become an Earth-shaking, Everest-sized volcano. she is flanked by a rotating lineup of musicians and instrumentation including daniel schubmehl's cajun-based drumming style, combining african groove and breakbeat, tony leva's funky upright bass, and petaluma vale's celtic harp and backup vocals. this unique ensemble creates an "exotic musical mobile" and a kind of avant-acoustic electronica around mali's voice-and-piano-based songs. the band's repertoire bridges the delicate and explosive ~ from haunting lullabies to furious, mixed-meter rants; tightly-woven compositions in odd time signatures to catharsis-inducing, barn-burning mini-epics (oft-times within the same song). the sound is rich, organic, captivating, both dark and triumphant.