{"id":5219,"date":"2025-08-18T16:27:56","date_gmt":"2025-08-18T16:27:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theconcertwitness.com\/?p=5219"},"modified":"2025-08-18T18:23:26","modified_gmt":"2025-08-18T18:23:26","slug":"linda-may-han-oh-strange-heavens-album-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theconcertwitness.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/18\/linda-may-han-oh-strange-heavens-album-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Linda May Han Oh – Strange Heavens"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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

The album title stems from the idea that people often choose a familiar hell over a strange heaven \u2013 a reflection that resonates with today\u2019s endless news cycles, political divisions, and social media noise. Oh\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Revisiting the Chordless Trio<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This isn\u2019t Oh\u2019s first time exploring the bass\u2013trumpet\u2013drums format<\/strong>; her 2009 debut Entry<\/em> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That dynamic emerges immediately on the opening track Portal<\/em>. Oh\u2019s bass line, full of harmonics and low-register weight, lays the foundation for Akinmusire\u2019s lyrical theme. Sorey responds with remarkable quickness, never falling back on clich\u00e9s, but instead shifting textures in response to every detail. Akinmusire\u2019s solo demonstrates his vast control across registers, before the trio reunites with playful interplay around the theme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the title track Strange Heavens<\/em>, the trio moves into ballad territory. Oh demonstrates her triple role<\/strong>\u2014sustaining bass lines, weaving harmonic support, and delivering melody fragments simultaneously. Her solo remains harmonically clear while rhythmically complex, supported by Sorey\u2019s understated backbeat. Akinmusire once again brings both technical precision and deep lyricism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Stories and Shifts in Mood<\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The faster Living Proof<\/em>, inspired by stories of resilience and particularly by Oh\u2019s mother, introduces optimism through a steady bass figure and shared melodies. The collective improvisation borders on chaos yet lands as a cohesive collage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Acapella<\/em> shifts to hymn-like simplicity. Sorey uses brushes while Akinmusire and Oh almost sing through their instruments. The piece recalls Joni Mitchell\u2019s The Fiddle and the Drum<\/em>, carrying a quiet beauty and emotional weight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Momentum picks up again on The Sweetest Water<\/em>. A groove built on Oh and Sorey\u2019s interplay drives the piece forward before yielding to solos: Oh\u2019s grounded yet harmonically inventive playing, and Akinmusire\u2019s trumpet work that paints vividly across rhythmic canvases. They don\u2019t return to the theme but let the piece end with trumpet solo, closed by a brief bass statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The buoyant Noise Machinery<\/em> (our highlight of the album) rises above life\u2019s daily clamor with a groove-driven, almost funky feel. The unison bass-trumpet hook is infectious, while Oh\u2019s solo demonstrates her ability to suggest an ostinato even when venturing freely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Shaun Tan Suite<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Four pieces\u2014Home<\/em>, Paperbirds<\/em>, Folk Song<\/em>, and Work Song<\/em>\u2014form an informal suite<\/strong> inspired by Shaun Tan\u2019s graphic novel The Arrival<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Home<\/em> opens with brisk collective interplay, highlighting the trio\u2019s technical clarity. Paperbirds<\/em> puts Oh\u2019s bass at the forefront, her solo stretching time without losing pulse, before the group drops the groove to reframe tempo around Sorey\u2019s drum feature. Folk Song<\/em> introduces Oh\u2019s bowed bass solo intro, leading into a chamber-like exchange with trumpet and mallets, evoking folk ritual. The closing Work Song<\/em> pulses with energy, alternating between free passages and structural clarity, balancing freedom with compositional rigor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Closing with Legacy<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The album concludes with two works by pioneering women composers: Geri Allen\u2019s Skin<\/em><\/strong> and Melba Liston\u2019s Just Waiting<\/em><\/strong>. Their inclusion underscores Oh\u2019s ongoing role as a faculty member at Berklee\u2019s Institute for Jazz and Gender Justice and collaborator in Terri Lyne Carrington\u2019s New Standards<\/em> project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Skin<\/em> opens with a clear bass line anchoring Sorey\u2019s expansive drumming. Oh seamlessly supports melody and rhythm, creating the illusion of multiple voices in one instrument. The trio\u2019s freer passages resolve back into the bass theme with clarity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Liston\u2019s Just Waiting<\/em> closes the album in breathtaking simplicity. Oh\u2019s resonant bass, Sorey\u2019s subtle brushwork, and Akinmusire\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

With Strange Heavens<\/em>, Linda May Han Oh pushes deeper into themes of humanity, resilience, and freedom. The chordless trio format\u2014so central to her early career\u2014finds new expression here through her adventurous writing, the soulful lyricism of Ambrose Akinmusire, and the boundless responsiveness of Tyshawn Sorey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This isn\u2019t just a bass\u2013trumpet\u2013drums album; it\u2019s an invitation to embrace risk and discovery. Step into this \u201cstrange heaven,\u201d and you\u2019ll find the magic begins the moment you press play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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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 \u2013 a reflection that resonates with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5220,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5219","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-jazz","category-new-music"],"yoast_head":"\nStrange Heavens Album Review \u2013 Linda May Han Oh<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Review of Linda May Han Oh\u2019s new album Strange Heavens (Biophilia Records, 2025), a fearless trio with Ambrose Akinmusire and Tyshawn Sorey.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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