Initial Here (feat. Dayna Stephens, Fabian Almazan, Rudy Royston & Jen Shyu)

Bassist and composer Linda Oh has played with numerous artists, including George Cables, Nasheet Waits, and Dave Douglas; her 2010 solo debut, Entry, was a trio effort with drummer Obed Calvaire and trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire. On her 2012 follow-up, Initial Here, she leads a quartet that includes saxophonist Dayna Stephens, pianist Fabian Almazan, and drummer Rudy Royston. “Ultimate Persona,” with its catchy, herky-jerky theme, finds the inventive rhythm section backing excellent solos from Almazan and Stephens. Unaccompanied acoustic bass serves as a link to the next track, which combines Leonard Bernstein’s “Something’s Coming” and Stravinsky’s “Les Cinq Doigts.” (Oh has classical training on bassoon.) Almazan rips it up here, and Oh and Royston engage in a snappy exchange. Electric bass and electric piano lend a fusion vibe to the high-energy “Deeper Than Happy.” The most intriguing track is “Thicker Than Water,” where guest vocalist Jen Shyu sings in Mandarin and English against a lovely backdrop of bowed bass and bassoon.