Mali Obomsawin Quartet Live Score Performance to “Sugarcane” at The Freight

“A breath of fresh air…It not only works as a potent commentary on Indigenous heritage, autonomy and experiences, but as gripping, dynamic, and thunderous music in and of itself. All that without an ounce of overshowing.” - JazzTimes Bassist, vocalist, and composer Mali Obomsawin’s music has been featured in the hit FX series “Reservation Dogs” and she composed the score to the Academy Award nominated Nat Geo documentary, “Sugarcane.” In the 2024 film, an investigation into abuse and missing children at an Indian residential school ignites a reckoning on the nearby sugarcane reserve. A stunning tribute to the resilience of Native people and their way of life, “Sugarcane,” the debut feature documentary from Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie, is an epic cinematic portrait of a community during a moment of international reckoning and illuminates the beauty of a community breaking cycles of intergenerational trauma and finding the strength to persevere. In this program, Mali and her band perform live with the backdrop of the film. The documentary is streaming on Disney+ and Hulu and the soundtrack was released in late 2024 on Nat Geo’s Hollywood Records.