SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: COCHEMEA – VOL. III: ANCESTROS FUTUROS

COCHEMEA
VOL. III: ANCESTROS FUTUROS
DAPTONE RECORDS

Over the course of 25 years, Cochemea has built a distinctive career as a modern avant-garde jazz artist of prolific status through a wide range of collaborators that includes Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, The Roots, Run The Jewels, Mark Ronson, Amy Winehouse, Jon Batiste, and Quincy Jones, among many more. For his fourth studio album, Vol. III: Ancestros Futuros, Cochemea has assembled an ensemble of New York-based percussionists and a band consisting of Daptone alumni, including Gabriel Roth on production, for yet another daring musical journey.

Opening with “Transmisión del Soñar”, Cochemea eases the listener in with a stirring, ambient song that hypnotically cycles through a cumulative ostinato that grows organically, with the tempo increasing slightly with each pass in nearly hypnotic fashion before shifting into “Otros Mundos”. The percussive track is led by a sax running through an effects pedal, giving it a unique timbre. Between this and the circular rhythmic cycles of “Transmisión del Soñar”, Vol. III: Ancestros Futuros opens on a mysterious note that leaves the listener hanging on each note.

While centering around often ambient and avant-garde takes on world music, Vol. III: Ancestros Futuros sees Cochemea redefine modern jazz. The musicality across this record is spectacular, but is further enhanced by the percussive foundation to the instrumentation, as well as the use of restraint. Often, Cochemea will perform a lush melody, followed by a complex, yet tasteful solo, but holds back to the fullest extent of his technical ability in order to best serve the song. From the tribal groove of “Omeyocan” and “Pyramid of The Sun” to the longing tones of “Seeing”, Vol. 3: Ancestros Futuros is a compelling musical exploration of jazz, Latin, and Afrobeat.

Throughout the album’s nine tracks, Vol. III: Ancestros Futuros establishes Cochemea as a modern jazz visionary who pulls from various eras of style and global influences to guide his compositional approach to jazz. In addition to his rich approach to songwriting, Cochemea plays his saxophone with a rich and highly emotive tone that shines among his contemporaries. Vol. III: Ancestros Futuros is an ambitious record that bridges world music and jazz in culturally relevant fashion.

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