Cochemea

**Cochemea** (full name Cochemea Gastelum) is a Brooklyn-based saxophonist, composer, and bandleader known for weaving ancestral connections into his vibrant, genre-blurring sound. A longtime member of Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings (and the broader Daptone Records family), he’s carved a striking solo path with albums like *Vol. II: Baca Sewa* and *Vol III: Ancestros Futuros*, which explore his Indigenous Mexican heritage through spiritual jazz, Afro-Latin rhythms, and ceremonial energy. His music often feels like a dialogue between past and present, blending hypnotic percussion, ancestral vocals, and his own fiery saxophone work with nods to Mesoamerican cosmology (tracks like “Omeyocan” and “Pyramid of the Sun” literally echo this vibe).

Of Yaqui and Mesoamerican descent, Cochemea infuses his projects—including the *Ancestros Futuros* series—with a deep reverence for tradition while collaborating with genre-defying artists like Quantic and Ana Tijoux. Releases like *Curandera* and *Mimbreños* showcase his knack for crafting immersive, ritualistic soundscapes that feel equally at home on a dancefloor or in a healing circle. Whether he’s channeling pre-Columbian flutes or funky brass, Cochemea’s music is a celebration of resilience, identity, and the timeless groove that binds it all together.