I really can't say that I've regretted checking out Cochemea Gastelum’s latest album, All of My Relations. Cochemea (whose name means “they were all killed asleep”) is a respected saxophonist and songwriter out of Brooklyn, NYC who performs avant-garde jazz with heavy African and indigenous influences, drawing specifically from his Yaqui and Mescalero Apache heritage (the former tribe are native to Mexico while the latter was settled in present-day New Mexico (formerly, just Mexico)). While he is best known for his work with the Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, he also performs with one of my favorite afrobeat bands, Antibalas. When Cochemea enters the stage his presence has a jittery magmatism to it, and not to get swept up in the enthusiasm he has for performing. All of My Relations is breezy, with a playful sense of curiosity that explores the intersection of roots music, indigenous-informed jazz, and afrobeat in an accessible and enlightening way. I’m really feeling the soulful hum of “Maso Yeeme,” the swagger and shuffle of “Mitote,” the smooth funky glide of “Seyewailo,” and the meditative “Song of Happiness.” You don’t have to tune into Cochemea’s frequency, but if you make the effort to properly collaborate your dial, you’ll be glad you did.
