In a career spanning nearly three decades, Cochemea Gastelum has worked with an enviable list of legends. His saxophonic skills have contributed to recordings and live performances with Sharon Jones, The Roots, David Byrne, Run the Jewels, Quincy Jones and Amy Winehouse, to name a scant few — safe to say, if you have even a passing interest in all things soulful, you’ve heard his handiwork.

As widely as his contributions have ranged, it wasn’t until the release of 2019’s All My Relations that Cochemea truly found his voice. Still steeped in the funk that formed the foundations of his career as a collaborator, Relations aimed for something deeper, digging into his Yaqui/Yoeme Indigenous heritage for inspiration. Incorporating spiritual jazz and ancient rhythms into its intricate compositions, the album announced Cochemea as not just an ace session man, but a musical force to be reckoned with.

The story that began with Relations has since expanded into a trilogy, with 2021’s Vol. II: Baca Sewa and last year’s Vol. III: Ancestros Futuros seeking new connections between cultural heritage, modern composition and danceable grooves. At times finding transcendence by way of polyrhythm, at others tracing the border between melancholy and defiance, Cochemea’s music is a way of grappling with a history that’s too complex to contain in words — and having a good time while doing it.

- Peter Hemminger