Linda May Han Oh

Linda May Han Oh has been playing music since age 4, starting with piano, then bassoon. She listened to her older sister’s eclectic collection of CDs, which included some jazz selections – Weather Report, Bill Evans, Jaco Pastorius. It wasn’t until she heard the Oscar Peterson Trio’s album Night Train, at 17, that she decided to start playing upright bass. Since then, she’s risen fast in the jazz world. The current bassist with Pat Metheny, she’s won numerous awards, and released her latest album, Walk Against Wind, in April. She’ll play tunes from that new album when she appears at the Monterey Jazz Festival this weekend with the Linda May Han Oh Quintet.

The 33-year-old was born in Malaysia and raised in Australia. She now lives in New York, and spent much of the summer teaching in Europe and Canada. She caught up with theWeekly from the airport before taking off for France, where she was traveling to record.

Weekly: When you’re the bandleader and songwriter, does the bass become more prominent?

Oh: I wouldn’t necessarily see the bass as in a different role when I’m the leader. I still think it should be a strong supportive foundation as part of the rhythm section.

The repertoire is different. I wanted the bass to have more responsibility in these compositions. I wanted the bass to have more than just the root of the harmony.

What’s your songwriting process like?

It varies. Each tune is different. The title for this album, Walk Against Wind, was inspired by a pantomime routine by Marcel Marceau.

What does pantomime have to do with jazz music?

I talk to students about nonverbal communication – what we can do without words and lyrics, just feelings and sounds. It’s important when you’re playing improvised music. When you are in the middle of creating something, you can’t yell at the person next to you, “‘A’ section!” or “bridge!” or “softer.” A lot of that can be done with nonverbal cues.

It encourages awareness. People can get caught up with their own music. So much is about being open and responsive to your fellow musicians.

Your new album has some interesting titles, like “Speech Impediment.” You say it’s a love story, of a man who can’t express his love to a woman because of his stutter. I can really hear the urgency, and you communicate a pretty complex story through music, without lyrics.

The overarching idea is about empathy – looking for substance in a person as opposed to the exterior and what they present, because it’s so often not real. In a time when there’s so much emphasis on social media and appearances, it’s a song about encouraging people to look beyond that.

As a performer, do you feel tension between who you appear to be and who you really are?

Being in any business where you have to be in the public eye, there’s some sort of navigating between what’s public and personal. You want to be a role model for people. I don’t think that’s a bad thing. I wouldn’t say there’s tension, but thought has to be put into it.

It’s about awareness. Being a female musician, you do think about, what are you going to wear? Inevitably, there may be comments. That’s for women in any male-dominated world.

You’re enthusiastic about the eco-conscious elements of your new album. Tell me about that.

It’s a different format. It’s a piece of origami FSC-certified paper art, with vegetable-based ink. Inside is a digital download code. We experimented with different packaging techniques, and there is no plastic, even when we send it.

That’s a creative form of activism. Did Donald Trump’s election change anything for you?

It’s a wakeup call not to take things for granted. It’s interesting to travel and experience different points of view. That helps me solidify where I stand. I’m trying to see the positive. I think everyone is. And just trying to do our best to counteract whatever damage may be done.

The LINDA MAY HAN OH QUINTET plays at 4:15pm Sunday, Sept. 16 on the Garden Stage. 373-3366, lindamayhanoh.com