Linda May Han Oh – Strange Heavens

Bassist Linda May Han Oh releases her sixth album Strange Heavens on August 22nd via Biophilia Records. Following the success of her 2023 release Glass Works, she now returns with a chordless trio recording featuring Ambrose Akinmusire (trumpet) and Tyshawn Sorey (drums).

The album title stems from the idea that people often choose a familiar hell over a strange heaven – a reflection that resonates with today’s endless news cycles, political divisions, and social media noise. Oh’s trio flips that notion on its head, inviting listeners to step outside their comfort zone and into a space where risk, interplay, and freedom create something extraordinary.

Revisiting the Chordless Trio

This isn’t Oh’s first time exploring the bass–trumpet–drums format; her 2009 debut Entry used the same lineup. The absence of a harmonic instrument forces a unique balance: Oh anchors the music with groove, chords, and melodic fragments, while leaving space for her partners to shape the sound.

That dynamic emerges immediately on the opening track Portal. Oh’s bass line, full of harmonics and low-register weight, lays the foundation for Akinmusire’s lyrical theme. Sorey responds with remarkable quickness, never falling back on clichés, but instead shifting textures in response to every detail. Akinmusire’s solo demonstrates his vast control across registers, before the trio reunites with playful interplay around the theme.

On the title track Strange Heavens, the trio moves into ballad territory. Oh demonstrates her triple role—sustaining bass lines, weaving harmonic support, and delivering melody fragments simultaneously. Her solo remains harmonically clear while rhythmically complex, supported by Sorey’s understated backbeat. Akinmusire once again brings both technical precision and deep lyricism.

Stories and Shifts in Mood

The faster Living Proof, inspired by stories of resilience and particularly by Oh’s mother, introduces optimism through a steady bass figure and shared melodies. The collective improvisation borders on chaos yet lands as a cohesive collage.

Acapella shifts to hymn-like simplicity. Sorey uses brushes while Akinmusire and Oh almost sing through their instruments. The piece recalls Joni Mitchell’s The Fiddle and the Drum, carrying a quiet beauty and emotional weight.

Momentum picks up again on The Sweetest Water. A groove built on Oh and Sorey’s interplay drives the piece forward before yielding to solos: Oh’s grounded yet harmonically inventive playing, and Akinmusire’s trumpet work that paints vividly across rhythmic canvases. They don’t return to the theme but let the piece end with trumpet solo, closed by a brief bass statement.

The buoyant Noise Machinery (our highlight of the album) rises above life’s daily clamor with a groove-driven, almost funky feel. The unison bass-trumpet hook is infectious, while Oh’s solo demonstrates her ability to suggest an ostinato even when venturing freely.

The Shaun Tan Suite

Four pieces—Home, Paperbirds, Folk Song, and Work Song—form an informal suite inspired by Shaun Tan’s graphic novel The Arrival.

Home opens with brisk collective interplay, highlighting the trio’s technical clarity. Paperbirds puts Oh’s bass at the forefront, her solo stretching time without losing pulse, before the group drops the groove to reframe tempo around Sorey’s drum feature. Folk Song introduces Oh’s bowed bass solo intro, leading into a chamber-like exchange with trumpet and mallets, evoking folk ritual. The closing Work Song pulses with energy, alternating between free passages and structural clarity, balancing freedom with compositional rigor.

Closing with Legacy

The album concludes with two works by pioneering women composers: Geri Allen’s Skin and Melba Liston’s Just Waiting. Their inclusion underscores Oh’s ongoing role as a faculty member at Berklee’s Institute for Jazz and Gender Justice and collaborator in Terri Lyne Carrington’s New Standards project.

Skin opens with a clear bass line anchoring Sorey’s expansive drumming. Oh seamlessly supports melody and rhythm, creating the illusion of multiple voices in one instrument. The trio’s freer passages resolve back into the bass theme with clarity.

Liston’s Just Waiting closes the album in breathtaking simplicity. Oh’s resonant bass, Sorey’s subtle brushwork, and Akinmusire’s lyrical trumpet weave together in a timbre both fresh and traditional. Without a piano, every nuance of the trio is exposed, and their virtuosity shines all the brighter.

Conclusion

With Strange Heavens, Linda May Han Oh pushes deeper into themes of humanity, resilience, and freedom. The chordless trio format—so central to her early career—finds new expression here through her adventurous writing, the soulful lyricism of Ambrose Akinmusire, and the boundless responsiveness of Tyshawn Sorey.

This isn’t just a bass–trumpet–drums album; it’s an invitation to embrace risk and discovery. Step into this “strange heaven,” and you’ll find the magic begins the moment you press play.