MUSIC

that to him. And I actually got to do it, which feels really good.

With Shanta as well—she asked me to play in her group this winter. There aren’t many Black women in this series, especially queer Black women. Of course she should be in it.

I don’t want to get credit for it either. People are doing the work. And I’m just trying to showcase a different landscape and give the resources to the people that should have it.

ESS has a wide audience. They’re a respected institution. If I was just putting it on myself, not nearly as many people would know. I also think the audience could be di erent and more expansive, and I’m sure it’s something that they’re thinking about as well. You’re getting these people’s stories, their music, shown to people in the present and online and then in the archives. And to have a system like that in place, it takes a long time and a lot of work and people. So the fact that it exists, and then we get to put whoever we want in the archive and in the space, is special. Because that’s how it’s gonna change, is having di erent people in it.

The Option Series

Experimental Sound Studio, 5925 N. Ravenswood

Events are free and all-ages and begin each Sunday at 3 PM. A conversation with the artist follows each performance.

July 30: Jaribu Shahid

August 6: Shanta Nurullah

August 13: Francisco Mela

August 20: Devon Gates and Fay Victor

August 27: Will Greene

September 3: Erez Dessel

And it’s not just for history’s sake—it’s about the present. Who are we talking about? Who are we giving opportunities? It’s not like I’m just going up to someone, like, “Oh, can I record this, and I’ll put it in this archive? But you’re not gonna get paid.” There’s also a financial aspect to this.

There’s not many places that are doing both aspects—representing and giving the resourc- es that are due. So the fact that ESS has both is really cool. Because that never happens, where you can get paid well to do whatever you want to do, that also reaches new people, that becomes a part of the history and a part of the current narrative.

The DIY stu is what I came up doing and what I feel has influenced all my ideals. Being in high school and playing a lot of punk DIY stuff in Chicago, that world was so great, because it was like, yeah, we all believe in a similar thing—a lot of anarchists, people who don’t fuck with the police. Queer people, it’s so open and out there. And then we can get that—not out of the way, but we can embrace it, and then make the music we want. Which is super rare.

That to me is what music is about, in a way—in that community, putting to practice what you believe. Music is transformative in the moment and in the future. And making those spaces in the present of what you want to see the world to be, it’s super key. The thing is, a lot of them don’t have any funding.

Devon Gates, like I was saying, is a friend of mine from Berklee—she’s probably the coolest person I know, the smartest person. So immediately I was like, Devon should come [to Option]. And then I was like, well, it’d be cool to have her with someone else, representing di erent generations. You wouldn’t be here without them. And older generations can also learn from the newer generations, like a cycle that keeps flowing.

Fay Victor is a vocalist from New York. Devon had worked with her in this program called Mutual Mentorship for Musicians—Fay was one of the mentors. Devon and I were talking about this idea, that it’d be cool if she did a duo with someone from a di erent space and background. I don’t know if they’ve ever done a duo before.

So Option is a cool space for new projects to happen. Also, I’m not gonna lie—I don’t know if this is selfish of me, but I’ve brought people, especially from out of town, who I want to make music with. [Violinist and vocalist] Gabby Fluke-Mogul came, and we’ve known each other but never played. I was like, “Come to Option, and then maybe the day after we could do a recording session.” And we ended up recording a whole duo album!

With Devon and Fay, we’re gonna all play a show the night before at the Hungry Brain on August 19. It’s a larger band, and I think Shanta is going to be playing in it too. I was like, “Yeah, you guys are coming to Chicago—if you want to stay a few more days and work on some other projects or meet musicians here . . . ”

I’ve learned from Ken. He brought Kaleigh Wilder and Ben Hall, who I both love. They’re from Detroit, and Kayleigh is only a few years older than me. We were talking a lot about the Chicago-Detroit connection. And Jaribu Shahid, who’s coming [July 30], he’s the most amazing bass player. Underrated as well, from Detroit. He’s also been playing with Ben and Kayleigh—so it’s three di erent generations of them playing together in Detroit. And it’s just cool to bring that here to Chicago. And then hopefully we can come back to Detroit—a big thing about this is the connections in the community.

Improvised music is so many things. “Experimental” is anything that’s not the norm. It’s a vast category.

Sometimes, the idea we have of improvised music, especially today, it’s like the John Zorn type of vibe of just craziness or larger ensembles. It usually looks a certain way, and a lot of times it’s men in those groups. It has a certain sound, and it can be awesome, but that’s just one way of doing it. There’s so many other ways.

You want to react against it. A lot of the improvised music I connect to, there is a humorous aspect to it. Because at the end of the day, it’s kind of crazy that we’re just here improvising, and it’s awesome, and it’s beautiful, but it’s also kind of funny. You don’t want to take it overly seriously. Be grateful and humble about what you’re doing. It’s not necessarily better than other things. You have to take yourself and your art seriously, but you can react with humor.

I do feel like you can sense it with some improvisers. It’s not just joy—it’s a lot of emotion—but there is a joy to it. I’m thinking of, like, the Art Ensemble of Chicago. It’s this palpable sense of, “This is something new. This is how we want our world to be.” v