Patrick Lamb will perform at The Oxford Hotel in Bend on Friday and Saturday.

Connie Han is a rising superstar of jazz — a charismatic pianist, a skilled composer, an entrancing performer and an unapologetic firebrand.

But in a 15-minute conversation with The Bulletin — mostly about her background and her excellent 2022 album “Secrets of Inanna,” a musical portrait of the ancient Sumerian proto-goddess of love, beauty and war — she shouted out more writers as influences than musicians.

Han is absolutely adamant, you see, about looking outside the world of music as a way of shaping her artistry and the story she wants to tell.

“You have to be a student of life, philosophy, books (and so on),” she said. “I wouldn’t have been able to create any of the compositions that I did for my last album without reading Joseph Campbell and Diane Wolkstein, who is the only author who ever really illustrated Inanna’s story.”

If an artist fails to broaden their inputs and horizons, they can become part of what Han calls “the memetics generation” — simply copying what other people are doing. This is especially true these days, when creative ambition and risk-taking are seen as potential threats to the bottom line by the business side of the industry.

“If you just copy what other people are doing with no idea why, it’s like hanging out with your friends and you become like your friends,” she said. “So (you have to engage) with critical and creative thinking through reading books — by, for example, Neal Stephenson, a speculative science fiction author who actually talked extensively about memetics — and being conscious of those things and having both a futurist and ancestral perspective on what you’re doing.”

Han isn’t just a bookworm, of course — far from it. Raised in Los Angeles by parents who were trained in classical and Chinese folk music, she found her way to jazz as a teenager and began voraciously studying the genre. Today, she cites 20th century jazz giants like trumpeter Freddie Hubbard and pianists Art Tatum and Kenny Kirkland as major influences on her work, but she doesn’t stop there.

“I checked out so much music. I’m still checking out so much music by artists … from international backgrounds, Europe, New York City and specifically Philadelphia, if we’re talking about jazz legacy,” she said. “I’ve just always been very dedicated to my craft (and) that focus has led me to become almost like a researcher.”

Which is not to say that listening to “Secrets of Inanna” feels like homework; on the contrary, it’s an irresistibly buoyant and soulful set of 12 songs that showcase not only her prowess as a pianist, but also her omnivorous approach to jazz. As Downbeat Magazine put it, “She’s got all the technical mastery she’ll ever need and has absorbed the post-bop piano masters.”

The story of Inanna, which follows her solitary descent into the abyss of her soul and rebirth as Queen of Heaven and Earth, is one that resonates with Han, she said.

“It’s a story that I identified with and still identify with to this day as just being one of the few stories about especially female deities that capture the complex spectrum of personality,” she said. “I mean, Inanna is not perfect. But when you embrace and acknowledge … the complete breadth of your nature, that’s when you can really come into who you are.”

That’s a process Han — like anyone else — is still going through. And she is clearly more driven to get there than most.

“I’ve always been different,” she said with a laugh, “and I’ve come to a deep spiritual awareness and acceptance about just how different I was, and still continue to be.”

Other 2024 Jazz at the Oxford dates

Han kicks off this year’s Jazz at the Oxford series when she performs Oct. 18 and 19, and others in the series include the following:

Nov. 8-9, Sy Smith: Powerhouse singer Sy Smith started her career as a backing vocalist for big stars like Whitney Houston and Usher before carving out her own space as an independent artist making adventurous soul music.

Jan. 10-11, The Groove with Shaun LaBelle, Stokley and Steve Cole: Three fixtures of funk, soul and R&B come together for a night of deep, delicious grooves. LaBelle has worked with Ray Charles, among others, and Stokley is a member of the hit-making group Mint Condition.

Feb. 7-8, Patrick Lamb: Oregon jazz giant Patrick Lamb has toured with stars like Smokey Robinson and Dianne Schuur, bringing his distinctively swinging saxophone style to all his projects. He books Jazz at the Oxford’s shows and will perform this season at the request of many of the series’ patrons.

March 14-15, Benny Benack III and Khailah Johnson: Benny Benack III is a rare triple threat: A top-shelf trumpeter, a smooth vocalist and a charismatic performer who has developed a sizable fan base through his own albums and his work alongside the band Postmodern Jukebox, a viral sensation.

Visit jazzattheoxford.com for more information.

What: Connie Han plays Jazz at the Oxford

When: 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18, 5 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19

Where: Oxford Hotel, 10 NW Minnesota Ave., Bend

Cost: $68

Contact: jazzattheoxford.com or 541-382-8436