For those still unaware, these are challenging times: today’s world is roiling with strife and pain as aggressive factions seek to conquer and control, the rest of the planet be damned. Jazz has always preached a message diametrically opposed to such things – this music of freedom and joy insists that there is room enough for all, inviting everyone to bring their unique piece to the banquet table.

This is the world from which Helen Sung’s debut big band project Oracles springs. A tour de force of musical portraits showcasing her exceptional subjects, Oracles is her heartfelt thank you to jazz legends Clark Terry, Ron Carter, Jimmy Heath, Wayne Shorter, Barry Harris, Kenny Barron, Herbie Hancock and Sir Roland Hanna, all of whom mentored her in the inaugural class of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance (now the Herbie Hancock Institute).

“Jazz is the most generous of art forms, able to integrate other musical traditions while still retaining its core identity and values,” says Sung. “In turn, it has influenced almost every genre of modern popular music to become a truly global art form. This album expresses my deep gratitude and is a tribute to the masters who made room for me and entrusted me with a tradition they helped build.”

1. “Convergence”
2. “Samba Da Gumz”
3. “Positively C.T.”
4. “Diana”
5. “Wayne’s World”
6. “Mr. Virtuoso”
7. “R.J.”
8. “A Little Bird Watchin’”
9. Pianism:
i. “Barry Harris”
ii. “Kenny Barron”
iii. “Herbie Hancock”
10. “Peace”

Created with the support of the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, which awarded Sung a Fellowship in 2021, Sung opens her new recording on the free flowing, perky and abundantly joyful “Convergence” and then brings us the more measured sounds of “Samba Da Gumz,” and then we are back swinging on “Positively C.T.” and the laid low ambiance of both “Diana” and a striding confidence shown within the veritably cinematic “Wayne’s World.”

Along next is the sweeping elegance of “Mr. Virtuoso” which is itself backed beautifully by the gently frenetic “R.J.” and the infectiously-grooved “A Little Bird Watchin’”, the new set rounding out on three-piece entitled Pianism: which begins with the bubbly “Barry Harris,” then gives us the luxurious “Kenny Barron,” culminating on the adventurously sculpted “Herbie Hancock,” the new set closing on the decadent balladry of “Peace.”

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