On a sunny Saturday afternoon at Fort Adams State Park, bassist Linda May Han Oh took the Newport Jazz Festival stage for the first time as a lead performer. Under the performance name Linda May Han Oh Trio, Oh was joined by trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire and drummer Tyshawn Sorey who served as a great compliment to her bass neck runs and compelling rhythms. As a New York City native, Oh was raised by the city’s bustling jazz scene and has crossed paths with an array of today’s jazz stars. Oh was able to record Strange Heavens, a collaborative album with Akinmusire and Sorey that is driven by the trio’s notable improvisation techniques during her busiest year yet. On the Harbor Stage, the group proved that their chemistry still runs deep with effortless transitions and tight duets between Akinmusire and Oh, travelling through both of their expansive ranges with ease. Swaying to each note with her eyes closed as she played, Oh’s palpable connection to the music made for an engaging debut performance. After the trio’s set, we sat down with Linda May Han Oh to discuss her experience performing as a lead act at the historic festival, the recording of Strange Heavens, and her favorite jazz bars in New York City.
Allston Pudding: What was it like performing at the Newport Jazz Festival as a leading band member? I know you mentioned that you performed here before, but this time you’re in the lead, your name’s on the lineup, so what was that like for you?
Linda May Han Oh: It’s very rewarding to be able to bring my music to the festival, to the stage, and with these amazing musicians. It’s so hard to get Tyshawn [Sorey] and Ambrose [Akinmusire] in a room together. Just to have the stars align was really rewarding. The audience was so beautiful and responsive. You could tell they were really listening. It was just a real joy for me personally. It’s always been fun playing in other people’s bands, but there’s something special about bringing my own project and actually leading the band.
AP: I know it happened a little more than a year ago, but what did the recording process look like for Strange Heavens? Was it recorded live? Is it mainly rooted in improvisation, or is there a little more planning behind it?
LO: Yeah, it’s a lot more rooted in improvisation, definitely compared to some of my other albums. Each song is more like a vehicle. There’s not a lot that’s truly set in stone. And even in this circumstance, it’s quite fun. There’s moments of, you know, maybe Ambrose may not have the complete music in front of him. And then, what do we do? We figure it out! I think that’s what’s beautiful about this combination…that it’s sort of embracing those things and seeing where we take it.
AP: Absolutely. And I love that you decided to end the set with a cover of Geri Allen’s “Skin.” I was wondering about the thought process behind the decision to place that at the end.
LO: Geri was such a force in the music scene and definitely gone too soon. She brought a lot of people together. We were talking about how Newport is so special—especially now with Nate [Smith] in charge—being able to bring all these different people from different corners together. Geri was so similar in that she would bring all these people together, and so I love being able to pay homage to her in the set. It’s also such a beautiful composition, kind of perfect for the setting of Tropic Bass and Drums, and I also get to play some of the lines and it actually lays really well in the bass to play more than one line at the same time. All of those things.
AP: I know you said it’s hard to get all of you in a room together, but are there any future plans to record together again as a trio?
LO: Yeah, I hope so. We’re working on another Vanguard run. We’ll see what happens!
AP: You also recently released your single Hallucinations with Melissa Aldana, and how did that collaboration come to be?
LO: I’ve known Melissa for a while, just seeing her on the scene. We’ve been playing in the Coltrane 100 band amongst other things that we’ve done, and we just wanted to record tunes. Neither of us has done an album full of standard repertoire. It’s funny because we play that so often, we practice it, we grew up in New York City doing that, yet neither of us has actually recorded an album with them. So, it just felt like a fun thing to do and the time to do it.
AP: I know you’re still based in NYC, so I’m curious which jazz club in the city is your favorite? Maybe even a few if you can’t decide.
LO: In New York City, I’d have to say the Vanguard because it is kind of the mecca and the history and everything, but also Smalls. I haven’t been to The Pocket or Jazzcultural yet. I really miss the 55 Bar and the Jazz Standard. Also beautiful places like Ornithology…It’s wonderful. I’ve heard great things about Close Up too, and the Jazz Gallery. I’d have to add the Jazz Gallery, which is near and dear to my heart. I would recommend all of those.