Daptone Records is overjoyed to present All My Relations – the debut solo album from long-time Dap-Kings saxophonist, Cochemea Gastelum. Cochemea’s electro-sax leads an ensemble of percussive giants (members of Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, Antibalas) on a psychedelic, spiritual journey, exploring his ancestral roots through melody and rhythm. As a body of work, it is an acknowledgement of oneness and harmony with all forms of life: people, animals, insects, plants, trees, and even rocks, rivers, mountains and valleys. It celebrates the sublime beauty of existence and beginnings of such. Some of the tunes were drawn from memory, imagined from a time and place Cochemea has never been, such as “Sonora” (the home of his Yaqui ancestors), and “Mescalero” (an Apache tribe from the South Central region of Mexico – ancestors of his great-grandmother). Others were born from the Musical impression of ritual, like “Mitote” (an ancient, secular round dance of the Aztecs and other tribes of the Sierra Madre Occidental – which in certain cultures can be associated with Peyote ritual). The track “Asatoma” is an ancient prayer from India. In Sanskrit, it prays for guidance to grow from darkness to light, to distinguish the real from the unreal, and to be guided from death of the physical to the immortality of the Spirit. It is a celebration of life.
The musicians on the record also bring a piece of themselves and their heritage, creating a cultural cornucopia of sonic expression that allows Cochemea’s vision and spirituality to flourish. All My Relations, in a sense, is a musical prayer to the world to help recognize our one true source, our shared identity. We are one.
