Joeykeysade: Orisun (Origin)

On his smoothly cool debut Orisun (Origin), New York-based pianist/composer JoeyKeySade—pronounced "JOH-ee KEYS SHAH-deh"—certainly exhibits deft mastery and understanding of the myriad of musics between Broadway and West Africa. The problem presented, of course, is which style inevitably comes to the fore and dominates.

What dominates the overall sound of Orisun (Origin) is an attractive, almost nostalgic late-70's/early-80's vibe recalling the lush, atmospheric ventures of Pat Metheny and a toned down Joe Zawinul—whom the pianist credits as a major influence—and the less rowdy,  pop-oriented themes that Chick Corea was so adept at.

And that is a good thing. A grand thing. An understanding few possess or share openly with the rest of us these days.

To a point.

And should that point define your artistry, especially with your own broad talents on full, appreciative display, leading talents that include guitarists Mike Stern and Lionel Loueke, bassist KAYODE KUTI, drummers FOLACHADE ABIALA and Tosin Aribisala , trumpeter Pasha Karchevsky and saxophonist Timo Vollbrecht to groove and tango behind you, while waiting for the signal to break out into something new.

Magical and melodic as all hell and then some, with an ebb and undertow that is very hard to swim against, compositions like "Ida," "Spirit," "Victory," "Highlife," the effervescent "Maya" are infectious. "Anonzoumi" is a joyful dance we can all do and not look funny; "Interlude" juggles its own Morse code-yet they are cast in a sound like something we have heard before. Smooth, even when roughed up, can still be smooth in spots. With all that being said, Orisun (Origin) is full of vigor and just JoeyKeySadea's first step in a journey we should pay attention to.