Atour 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).

The Institute’s Artistic Director at the time, bass legend Ron Carter, told Sung, “In order to  nd your voice in this music, you have to write your own music.” It was a radical idea for this classically trained pianist and eldest daughter of Chinese immigrants – that she could be both a performer and a composer who had the freedom to create.

Sung recalls something the great tenor saxophonist Jimmy Heath said to her: “The jazz bandstand is where true democracy lives. Everyone must understand their role and come prepared by doing the hard work of study and practice. Each person will get to say their piece, but it is in the act of integrating as a band that the musicians ultimately create something bigger, richer and deeper.”