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Cochemea Gastelum: The Electric Sound Of Johnny Arrow

  Tobias Fischer

Adam Dorn, aka Mocean worker, should by now be considered officially past the “someone to watch” stage. His marketing sense and overall cleverness in the jazz arena has resulted in wetworked cybernetics that appeal not just to wonks but fans who need a little in-your-face-ness in their intellectual music.

A new signee to Dorn’s label, session guy Cochemea Gastelum (who’s played various horns for such big-timers as Amy Winehouse and Paul Simon) is essentially a Latin-flavored version of Mocean Worker, fusing intelligent samples and other electro frills to common barrio flora and fauna. “Carlito,” for example, sounds like what you’d imagine blasting from your average everyday Impala lowrider – Santana meets the Starsky & Hutch TV soundtrack – the twist being that it’s infused with Chemical Brothers non sequiturs. In non-great news, “You’re So Good to Me” invests heavily in Al Street’s futzing with wah-pedal guitar straight out of “Shaft” – a matching vibe for what colors most of Gastelum’s horn work on this album – and it’s patronizing when Street is simply keeping time rather than noodling (brilliantly).

But occasional moments of so-so-ness are allowed in this case – these cats are without any doubt leaders, not followers.

By Eric Saeger

Homepage: Cochemea Gastelum
Homepage: MoWo Inc. Records