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.
