Jaggery/ Foolish Ida/ Heather Christian & The Arbornatus May 19, 2012

“Torture chamber pop.” “Darkwave jazz.” “Siren rock.” These are a few of the many attempts to describe the sound of Jaggery, an art-rock collective which weaves harp, viola, piano, contrabass, and drum kit into a universe of its own, setting the scene for “one of the most beautiful voices in modern music.” Powerful enough to harness the fiery churnings beneath a volcano as well as the ethereal light of a dying star, frontwoman Singer Mali’s voice regularly leaves listeners viscerally stunned and with goosebumps. She is flanked by a rotating lineup of musicians and instrumentation including Daniel Schubmehl’s West African approach to the drum kit, with jazz influences, Tony Leva’s funky upright bass, Rachel Jayson’s avant-classical viola, and Petaluma Vale’s glistening Celtic harp and backing vocals.