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.