Malaysian-born Linda May Han Oh emigrated with her parents to Australia at the age of three. Her mother was instrumental in her musical education, arranging classical piano lessons when Oh was still quite young. Oh later moved to the bassoon and clarinet, playing in the school band, until she finally settled on the bass at age 15. Like many teenagers, she was keen to play alternative, rock and metal, Eventually she found her true calling, studying at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA). Graduating with honors, she was later a finalist for the James Morrison Scholarship 2003, and received the IAJE Sister in Jazz and ASCAP Young Jazz Composer’s awards.
She wrapped her education in the Manhattan School of Music master’s program. Once in New York, she began to meet and perform with many of the scene’s most prominent figures, like Joe Lovano, Geri Allen, Terri Lyne Carrington, and Pat Metheny. Releasing her debut album, Initial Here in 2012, she’s gone on to record three more records on her own and continued to work with many other artists. Her latest album is Aventurine (2019), a record JazzTimes has noted for her “manipulations of melody and harmony, and the way she shapes ensemble form, can create unfamiliar beauty.”
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