Imagine if you cut into a Twinkie and found, in cross section, that it’s as intricately layered as a mille-feuille. So, half-hearing a few measures of this Philly pianist’s music, with its lush melodic cells and harmonic vamps, you might take it for smooth jazz. Moments later, you’d realize it is dense with subtle ingredients—hip-hop, post-bop, gospel, Sun Ra, Bitches Brew, even echoes of Meredith Monk—all baked in a highly individual oven. —E.E.