Experimental Sound Studio presents Cuban drummer Francisco Mela in rare Chicago solo performance.
Walk-ins welcome; reservations recommended
Experimental Sound Studio presents Cuban-born, Boston-based drummer Francisco Mela in a rare solo performance.
This performance and interview are presented in the ESS garden, and will be premiered online on ESS's YouTube.
The OPTION series is curated by Ken Vandermark, Lily Finnegan, and Andrew Clinkman.
Event Details
Sunday, August 13
3:00-5:00pm
Experimental Sound Studio Garden
5925 N. Ravenswood Ave., Chicago
About Francisco Mela
Francisco Mela is a favorite among jazz's elite instrumentalists, including such luminaries as Joe Lovano, McCoy Tyner, John Scofield, Ingrid Laubrock, and Esperanza Spalding, among many others, all of whom cite his charisma, sophistication, and life-arming spirit as an extension of his incredible talents as a composer and drummer.
Born in 1968 in Bayamo, Cuba, Mela moved to Boston in 2000 and quickly thereafter made a name for himself on the Boston scene, becoming the house drummer at the legendary Wally’s Café Jazz Club. It was at Wally’s that Mela began developing a concept for his own band, one that would feature the sounds of modern jazz with the traditional music he grew up with in Cuba. World-renowned saxophonist Joe Lovano heard Mela and was immediately impressed, hiring him shortly after to play in his quartet. Since 2005, Mela has been an integral part of Lovano’s quartet and his new group, Us Five, a two-drummer quintet. Their 2009 Blue Note Records recording, titled Folk Art, was considered by many critics to be Lovano’s most adventurous to date. In 2009, he was tapped by jazz legend McCoy Tyner to join his trio. Said Tyner of his new drummer, “Mela is just a fantastic player. He has his own style and his own sound, which is what I look for in a drummer.”
About OPTION
OPTION is an ongoing music salon curated by Chicago musicians Andrew Clinkman, Lily Finnegan, and Ken Vandermark and presented by Experimental Sound Studio. Its programming explores contemporary perspectives on improvisation and composition in a 'salon' format, enabling local, national, and international artists to publicly discuss their practice and ideas as well as perform.
Parking
Street parking can be found easily around ESS on streets such as W. Thorndale. There are three parking spots directly in front of ESS on Ravenswood. On weekends, parking is also available along the front of Weber Furniture; please do not block the garage doors. Behind ESS through the alley, there are also two parking spots which we are happy to reserve for anyone with accessibility needs. Please get in touch with info@ess.org to reserve a spot.
During the OPTION series this summer, diagonal parking is available in the alley directly south of ESS and Weber Furniture Service.
Accessibility
ESS has wheelchair seating and accessible bathrooms on both floors.
Please note that once on one floor, there is no ADA-accessible path inside the building to switch between floors; you will have to exit the building and reenter from the respective floor entrance. Our front entrance on Ravenswood leads you to our 1st floor (Audible Gallery, Studio A, Live Room), while our alley entrance leads you to the basement/garden (garden shows, Creative Audio Archive, Studio B).
To reserve accessible seating or parking, request other accommodations, or ask us any accessibility-related questions, please email info@ess.org.