We’re delighted to offer up the debut solo-single from Dap-Kings sax-man and long-time Daptone Family fixture, the peerless player with palpable provenance, Cochemea Gastelum. Recorded entirely in his humble bedroom studio, Cochemea masterfully blends the drum-machine-laden soul-explorations of artists like Shuggie Otis and Sly Stone, with the avant-garde, electric sax permutations of Eddie Harris. Side A, \u201cSong Of Happiness,\u201d finds Cochemea drawing inspiration from his Native American roots, via a homage to the late 19th Century Navajo song, Shi naash\u00e1 – which translates to, I am going\/walking around – and was written to commemorate the release of the Navajo people from internment at Fort Sumpter. Unlike most other Navajo songs, Shi naash\u00e1 is almost entirely translatable, giving it a universal message that Cochemea interprets instrumentally. On Side B we have \u201cStranded in Space.\u201d Propelled by the insistent pulse of a Maestro Rhythm King and fortified by Cochemea’s pleading, saxophone lament – \u201cStranded in Space\u201d is a relaxed trip into the galactic intangibles of \u00abThe Great Beyond.\u00bb<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"