OPTION Talks

In this September 2017 conversation with Ken Vandermark, Ballake Sissoko & Nicole Mitchell discuss early experiences with music, improvising across musical traditions, and working in different languages. 

Note that Ballake Sissoko works with a French translator throughout the conversation.

In this June 2017 conversation with Seth Kim-Cohen, Lou Mallozzi improvises his way through an intertwined performance and interview. 

“The improvisation was not only the music or sonic performance, but also the improvisation of the discussion with Seth, the improvisation of getting questions from the audience, and the possible failures or unintentional occurrences of the cell phone, the outdoors, etc. Added to this is the fact that the progression of these elements and their ways of interrupting each other were also improvised. In other words, it was an improvisation of the whole situation and not only an improvised music concert framed with the place, social situation and a series. In fact, it wasn't a concert, or if it was, the concert was couched within the overall event.”

- Lou Mallozzi on his 2017 solo Option Concert.

In this September 2021 conversation with Andrew Clinkman, Jessica Ackerley talks about playing clean electric guitar, the role of enjoyment in playing music, and collaborating with Shane Parish in Hawai'i.

In this August 2020 conversation with Ken Vandermark, Magda Mayas talks about her early musical influences from her family and seeing Cecil Taylor, shares her experience being a student of Misha Mengelberg, and discusses her techniques working with a prepared piano.

In this May 2019 conversation with Tim Daisy, Mabel Kwan talks about her early musical life, playing with Ensemble Dal Niente, and the thin line between interpretation and creation.

In this October 2015 conversation with Ken Vandermark, Terrie Ex and Andy Moor discuss the several social, political and creative scenes in Amsterdam that shaped them, the longevity of The EX, and shines light on the bureaucracy of international artists to be in the United States to share their music. 

In this March 2021 conversation with Ken Vandermark, Jim O'Rourke talks about 1980s and '90s Chicago music, the impact of studying on creativity, and his move to Japan. This episode features a playlist assembled by Jim.

In this November 2021 conversation with Andrew Clinkman, Karen Ng talks about her technical exploration as a saxophonist, her ups and downs of her musical education, and they both discuss the similarities and differences of the Chicago v. Toronto scenes.

In this October 2018 conversation with Andrew Clinkman, Greg Kelley talks about developing a palette of sounds for the trumpet, the importance of context and narrative to an improvised set, and seeing how much “music” can be taken out of music.

In this October 2018 conversation with Tim Daisy, Gerry Hemingway discusses the under documented New Haven sound scene, the active differences between listening and hearing, and touches on his background as a videographer.