San Francisco Bay Area bassist and composer Lisa Mezzacappa presents a program that showcases different aspects of her far-ranging musical personality—combining improvisation, original compositions, graphic scores, and music for experimental film. She performs solo and in duos with with longtime collaborator, Bay Area drummer Jason Levis, plus a surprise guest or two from the Chicago improvised music community. Throughout the intimate salon-style performance, Mezzacappa will discuss her process composing music for improvisers and collaborating with artists in other media, as well as the (often hysterical, sometimes heartbreaking) trials and tribulations that have marked her artistic journey.

Critically acclaimed NYC saxophonist and composer Darius Jones marks his debut performance on the Option stage. Darius (alto saxophone) will perform a solo set, followed by a discussion with Tim Daisy.

Biliana Voutchkova (violin) and Jakob Warmenbol (drums) will each play a solo set of music, and conclude the evening with a short improvised duo piece. Biliana Voutchkova is an essential member of the Berlin music scene and her album Blurred Music was picked as a Top Ten of 2018 by the Free Jazz Blog.  Jakob Warmenbol is a principal figure on the Belgian scene and has collaborated with a wide range of improvisers, such as Greg Cohen, John Hollenbeck, and Joachim Badenhorst; this will be his only solo performance during his current residency in Chicago.

Don Dietrich's concert on the OPTION series at Experimental Sound Studio presents one of the founding figures of American improvised music and sonic exploration in a solo context. After his performance he'll discuss his musical history with Ken Vandermark and answer questions from the audience.