OPTION Talks

Season 3 Episode 17: Ballake Sissoko & Nicole Mitchell

In this September 2017 conversation with Ken Vandermark, Ballake Sissoko & Nicole Mitchell discuss early experiences with music, improvising across musical traditions, an

Season 3 Episode 15: Lou Mallozzi

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 th

Season 3 Episode 13: Jessica Ackerley

In this September 2021 conversation with Andrew Clinkman, Jessica Ackerley talks about playing clean electric guitar, the role of enjoyment in playing music, and collabor

Season 3 Episode 11: Magda Mayas

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

Season 3 Episode 9: Mabel Kwan

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 an

Season 3 Episode 7: Terrie Ex & Andy Moor

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, th

Season 3 Episode 5: Jim O’Rourke

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. T

Season 3 Episode 3: Karen Ng

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

Season 3 Episode 1: Greg Kelley

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

Season 2 Episode 19: Gerry Hemingway

In this October 2018 conversation with Tim Daisy, Gerry Hemingway discusses the under documented New Haven sound scene, the active differences between listening and heari

Season 2 Episode 17: Christof Kurzmann

In this 2016 duo performance and conversation with Ken Vandermark, Christof Kurzmann discusses making music about the second Iraq war, using the laptop in improvised musi

Season 2 Episode 15: Ingebrigt Håker Flaten

In this April 2017 conversation with Ken Vandermark, Ingebrigt Håker Flaten talks about his upbringing and schooling before becoming a musician, discusses the techniques

Season 2 Episode 13: Ingrid Laubrock

In this March 2018 conversation with Andrew Clinkman, Ingrid Laubrock discusses the role of the room in solo playing, working on an orchestral scale, and moving to New Yo

Season 2 Episode 11: Fred Lonberg-Holm

In this March 2016 conversation with Ken Vandermark, Fred Lonberg-Holm looks back to his origins of how he came to build his signature cello sound, being called the “anti

Season 2 Episode 9: Michael Vatcher

In this October 2017 conversation with Tim Daisy, Michael Vatcher reflects on the narrative elements of solo performance, moving to Amsterdam in the 1980s, and playing ch

Season 2 Episode 7: William Parker

In this September 2016 conversation with Ken Vandermark, William Parker looks back at the beginning and formation of The New York Loft Scene, his musical journey from the

Season 2 Episode 5: LaDonna Smith

In this October 2018 conversation with Andrew Clinkman, LaDonna Smith talks about experimentation as a way of carrying childhood forward, fostering a creative music commu

Season 2 Episode 3: Luke Stewart

In this August 2018 conversation with Ken Vandermark, Luke Stewart talks about his bass and amplifier exploration, becoming a key musical organizer in D.C and his views o

Season 2 Episode 1: Helen Gillet

In this July 2017 conversation with Tim Daisy, Helen Gillet talks about taking inspiration from languages, bridging classical, Indian, and jazz cello technique, and livin

Episode 23: William Winant

In this August 2019 conversation with Tim Daisy, William Winant talks about the similarities between improvised and composed music, crossing musical genres, and interpret