A quick roll of the snare sets the hot tempo for the departure of “Caravan,” the opening cut of drummer Ricky Sebastian’s The Spirit Within.

As the drummer’s recording debut as leader, the album tells a lot about Sebastian not only as a musician, composer and arranger but of his musical leanings and influences from the past to the present.

The “now” of the disc comes from the artists Sebastian chose to put his ideas to life. Fueling his energized arrangement of “Caravan” is an all New Orleans super crew that puts young hot shots such as saxophonist Clarence Johnson and trumpeter Irvin Mayfield and veterans like percussionist Bill Summers and saxophonist Donald Harrison side-by-side.

Darrell Lavigne’s piano maintains the heartbeat while Sebastian’s crash and burn cymbals define the classic tune’s go get ’em mood. Ensemble work has an important role throughout this disc and the teaming of Johnson’s tenor and Harrison’s alto plays out brilliantly. The album shifts gears often, but not with a jarring effect, as it moves to Sebastian’s originals including the somewhat slinky funk of “Finish Line” and the Latin-tinged “One Step Up.”

Guitarist Steve Masakowski comes in calm and classy until the inside-out Johnson begins to punch and stab in some ways mirroring Sebastian’s own aggressiveness. There is a time for great beauty here on the lovely title cut. Lawrence Sieberth takes over on synthesizer on a song ruled by Harrison’s gorgeous horn.

Appropriately, Sebastian’s drums soften yet are hardly nonchalant and bassist Chris Severin steps out for a solo. The drummer turns to some of his heroes for Miles Davis’ “Footprints,” Jaco Pastorious’ “Dania” and Herbie Hancock’s “One Finger Snap.” Sebastian opens “Dania” with a tasty swing, a foot-tapper made elegant by Peter Martin’s rich piano and the spiral swirls of Harrison’s alto. It’s somehow appropriate that The Spirit Within should end in the stark energy of a percussion meeting with Sebastian, Summers and Kenyatta Simon on the song with the warning, “Don’t Trip the Monkey.”

The rhythmic adventure of discovering The Spirit Within begins with the enthusiasm of seeking alternative routes that are challenging and fun.