James Chance, also known as James White (born James Siegfried, April 20, 1953), is an American saxophonist, keyboard player, and singer. A key figure in no wave, Chance has been playing a combination of improvisational

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

-like music and

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

in the New York music scene since the late 1970s, in such bands as

Teenage Jesus and the Jerks Teenage Jesus and the Jerks were an influential American no wave band, based in New York City, who formed part of the city's no wave movement. Background Lydia Lunch met saxophonist James Chance at CBGB and moved into his two-room apartmen ...

James Chance and the Contortions James Chance and the Contortions (initially known simply as Contortions, a spin-off group is called James White and the Blacks) was a musical group led by saxophonist and vocalist James Chance, formed in 1977. They were a central act of New York ...

, James White and the Blacks (as he appeared in the film ''

Downtown 81 ''Downtown 81'' is a 2000 American film that was shot in 1980-1981. The film was directed by Edo Bertoglio and written and produced by Glenn O'Brien and Patrick Montgomery, with post-production in 1999-2000 by Glenn O'Brien and Maripol. It is a r ...

''), The Flaming Demonics, James Chance & the Sardonic Symphonics, James Chance and Terminal City, and James Chance and Les Contortions.

Biography

Born and raised in

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee i ...

and

Brookfield, Wisconsin Brookfield is a city located in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States in the Milwaukee metropolitan area The Milwaukee metropolitan area (also known as Metro Milwaukee or Greater Milwaukee) is a major metropolitan area located in Southeast ...

, Chance attended Michigan State University, then the

Wisconsin Conservatory of Music The Wisconsin Conservatory of Music is an independent music school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It teaches classical, jazz, rock, folk, and blues and hosts musical concerts throughout the year. It is housed in a Neoclassical-style mansion built ...

in Milwaukee. There, Chance joined a band named Death, which performed covers of

the Stooges The Stooges, originally billed as the Psychedelic Stooges, also known as Iggy and the Stooges, was an American rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1967 by singer Iggy Pop, guitarist Ron Asheton, drummer Scott Asheton, and bassist Da ...

and

the Velvet Underground The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1964. The original line-up consisted of singer/guitarist Lou Reed, multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and drummer Angus MacLise. MacLise ...

before moving toward original songs. At the end of 1975, Chance dropped out and moved to New York City after the dissolution of the band and the death of its singer. He quickly became active in both the

free jazz Free jazz is an experimental approach to jazz improvisation that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s when musicians attempted to change or break down jazz conventions, such as regular tempos, tones, and chord changes. Musicians duri ...

and no wave punk rock scenes.Masters, Marc, 2007, pp. 83-95 His first band in New York in 1976 was an instrumental quartet with violin, drums and bass called Flaming Youth. He started

with

Lydia Lunch Lydia Lunch (born Lydia Anne Koch; June 2, 1959)Martin Charles Strong. ''The Great Indie Discography''. 2003, page 85 is an American singer, poet, writer, actress and self-empowerment speaker. Her career began during the 1970s New York City no ...

the same year. In 1977, after studying for a short time under David Murray, Chance formed

The Contortions James Chance and the Contortions (initially known simply as Contortions, a spin-off group is called James White and the Blacks) was a musical group led by saxophonist and vocalist James Chance, formed in 1977. They were a central act of New York ...

, who fused jazz improvisation and

funky Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the mid ...

rhythms, with live shows often ending in violence when Chance would confront audience members. The Contortions reached a wider audience with their contribution to the Brian Eno-compiled ''

No New York ''No New York'' is a compilation album released in 1978 by record label Antilles under the curation of producer Brian Eno. Although it only contained songs by four different artists, some consider it to be a definitive single album documenting Ne ...

'' collection of No Wave acts. The band appeared in

Rosa von Praunheim Holger Bernhard Bruno Mischwitzky (born Holger Radtke; 25 November 1942), known professionally as Rosa von Praunheim, is a German film director, author, painter and one of the most famous gay rights activists in the German-speaking world. In ov ...

's film ''Das Todesmagazin'' in 1979. While Chance was professionally and romantically linked with No Wave musical luminary

, the duo created seminal No Wave group Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, whom Chance soon left. Chance was noted for engaging in physical confrontations, from forcing the audience out of their seats and getting in fist fights with his New York City audience, including rock critic Robert Christgau. At first, this was just an attempt to engage the passive New York audience, but this practice is reported to have somewhat diminished after audiences came to expect the physical confrontations. He has said racial slurs and expressed racist sentiments in a number of interviews. In 1979, Chance collaborated with

Arto Lindsay Arthur Morgan "Arto" Lindsay (born May 28, 1953) is an American guitarist, singer, record producer and experimental composer. He was a member of the pioneering 1970s no wave group DNA, which featured on the 1978 compilation '' No New York''. I ...

, Bradley Field, and George Scott on the soundtrack to

Diego Cortez James Allan Curtis (September 30, 1946 – June 21, 2021), known professionally as Diego Cortez, was an American filmmaker and art curator closely associated with the no wave period in New York City. Cortez was the co-founder of the Mudd Club, ...

's film ''Grutzi Elvis''. James White 1981 2

Chance's stage and musical persona were finalized by romantic partner and agent

Anya Phillips Anya Phillips (1955 – June 19, 1981) was an American fashion designer and the co-founder of legendary New York nightclub the Mudd Club along with Steve Maas and Diego Cortez. Phillips had an influence on the fashion, sound and look of the New York ...

, who died of cancer in 1981. Frictions between Chance and band members eventually led to a breakup of the Contortions in the fall of 1979. The Contortions released one album, ''Buy'' in late 1979, and another album, ''Off White'', under the pseudonym James White and the Blacks in 1980 (featuring Lydia Lunch under the pseudonym Stella Rico). Chance re-formed James White and the Blacks with a completely different lineup that appeared on the 1982 album ''Sax Maniac'' which was dedicated to Phillips. The group released one more album, ''Melt Yourself Down'', a very limited Japanese release. The first version of the Blacks was set up by

Joseph Bowie Joseph Bowie (born October 17, 1953) is an American jazz trombonist and vocalist. The brother of trumpeter Lester Bowie, Joseph is known for leading the jazz-punk group Defunkt and for membership in the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble. Career Bowi ...

. Shortly after,

Defunkt Defunkt is an American musical group founded by the trombonist and singer Joseph Bowie in 1978 in New York City. Their music touches on elements of punk rock, funk, and jazz. Career Joseph Bowie is the brother of big band musician Byron Bo ...

emerged from the Blacks. In 1982 Chance toured with the re-formed James White and the Blacks with his brother David "Tremor" Siegfried and his band David and the Happenings from Carbondale, Illinois, playing Chicago, their hometown Milwaukee, and much of the Midwest. Chance briefly relocated to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

, returning to New York City in 1983 to record the album ''James White Presents The Flaming Demonics''. In 1987, he contributed saxophone to The False Prophets' ''Implosion'' album. In 2001, Chance reunited with original Contortions members

Jody Harris Jody Harris is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter and composer who was born in Kansas and became a central figure in the seminal no wave scene in New York City in the 1970s. Career history Harris was lead guitarist in the Contortions, an ...

(guitar),

Pat Place Pat Place (born 1953) is an American artist, photographer, and musician noted for her work as a founding member and guitarist of no wave bands James Chance and the Contortions and Bush Tetras. Art Place grew up in Chicago. She studied art in col ...

(slide guitar) and Don Christensen (drums) for a few limited engagements. Original keyboard player

Adele Bertei Adele Maria Bertei (born 1955) is an American singer, songwriter, writer and director. Early life Bertei was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1955. She is the oldest of three children born to Katherine (née Murphy) and Umberto Bertei. Her father w ...

appeared briefly, but bass player

George Scott III George Scott III (October 16, 1953 - August 5, 1980) was a bass player for several New York City bands during the No Wave era. He was a founding member of 8-Eyed Spy and the Raybeats, and he worked with James Chance and the Contortions, James Wh ...

had died of an accidental drug overdose in 1980 and his slot was filled by Eric Sanko. The reunited group has played twice at the

All Tomorrow's Parties "All Tomorrow's Parties" is a song by the Velvet Underground and Nico, written by Lou Reed and released on the group's 1967 debut studio album, ''The Velvet Underground & Nico''. Inspiration for the song came from Reed's observation of Andy Warh ...

music festival, and, in 2008, at the PS1 Warm Up series. Chance has also recorded with Blondie since coming out of his semi-retirement. Tiger Style records released the 4-CD box set retrospective ''Irresistible Impulse'' to critical acclaim in 2003. A live-DVD ''James Chance – Chance of a Lifetime: Live in Chicago 2003'' was released in 2005. In addition to limited engagements with the original Contortions, Chance has occasionally performed and recorded with the Chicago band Watchers. In Europe, he performs with James Chance & Les Contortions, French musicians who have been his backing band since 2006. They played a 15 show Europe tour in April and May 2007 and were back in Europe in October 2007. In May 2012 they released the CD ''Incorrigible!'' on the French label LADTK, comprising seven Chance originals and two covers, all of them brand new recordings. In 2009 Chance made occasional appearances playing keyboards in NYC with a trio, with the material restricted to close readings of jazz standards. In June 2012, Chance played in Portland, OR with local group Ancient Heat as his backing band. They played a number of songs from various points in his career, including a new cover of Gil Scott-Heron's "Home is Where The Hatred Is." James Chance 2010 (cropped)

In 2016, 19-year-old Dylan Greenberg directed James Chance in the music video for a re-recorded version of Melt Yourself Down, his first music video in nearly 20 years. The video premiered on MOJO.

Discography

Albums

;James Chance and the Contortions * '' Buy'' (

ZE Records ZE Records was originally a New York-based record label, started in 1978 by Michael Zilkha and Michel Esteban. It was reestablished by Esteban in 2003. History Michael Zilkha (b. 1954) is a British-born Oxford graduate of Iraqi descent, the s ...

, 1979) (as Contortions) * ''Live aux Bains Douches'' (Invisible, France 1980) * ''Live in New York'' (

ROIR ROIR (pronounced "roar"), or Reachout International Records, is a New York City-based independent record label founded in 1979 by Neil Cooper. Background ROIR was founded the same year that the Sony Walkman launched, and initially, the label ex ...

cassette Cassette may refer to: Technology * Cassette tape (or ''musicassette'', ''audio cassette'', ''cassette tape'', or ''tape''), a worldwide standard for analog audio recording and playback ** Cassette single (or "Cassingle"), a music single in th ...

, 1981) * ''Soul Exorcism'' (ROIR cassette, 1991) * ''Lost Chance'' (ROIR 1995, recorded 1981) * ''Molotov Cocktail Lounge'' (Enemy Records, 1996) * ''Incorrigible!'' (LADTK, France 2012) (as James Chance et les Contortions) * ''The Flesh is Weak'' (True Groove, 2016) ;James White and the Blacks * '' Off White'' (

, 1979) * '' Sax Maniac'' (Animal, 1982) * ''Melt Yourself Down'' (Selfish Records, Japan 1986) ;James Chance and Pill Factory * ''Theme from Grutzi Elvis'' (EP) (ZE 1979) ;James White's Flaming Demonics * ''James White's Flaming Demonics'' (ZE 1983) ;James Chance and Terminal City * ''The Fix is In'' (decade 01 / Interbang Records IBR005 2010) ;Solo * ''James Chance – Chance of A Lifetime: Live in Chicago 2003'' (RUNT 2005)

Appears On

* ''

'' (compilation, 1978) (with The Contortions) *

: ''

Pre Teenage Jesus and the Jerks ''Pre Teenage Jesus and the Jerks'' is a single by Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, released in November 1979 by ZE Records. The release presents 1977 recordings, a prehistory of the band. Teenage Jesus and the Jerks (Lydia Lunch with Gordon Stevenso ...

'' (EP ZE 1978) (prehistory of the band) * ''

'' (soundtrack, 1981) * Debbie Harry: ''

Rockbird ''Rockbird'' is the second solo studio album by American singer Debbie Harry. It was released in November 1986 by Geffen Records in the United States and Chrysalis Records in the United Kingdom. Background ''Rockbird'' was released four years ...

'' (album, 1986) * ''Medium Cool'' (compilation, 1991), Chet Baker tribute with

Alex Chilton William Alexander Chilton (December 28, 1950 – March 17, 2010) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer best known as the lead singer of the Box Tops and Big Star. Chilton's early commercial success in the 1960s ...

, and Angel Torsen * ''Somewhere in the City'' (1998) * Blondie: ''

No Exit ''No Exit'' (french: Huis clos, links=no, ) is a 1944 existentialist French play by Jean-Paul Sartre. The play was first performed at the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier in May 1944. The play begins with three characters who find themselves waiting ...

'' (album, 1999) guest artist on alto saxophone * ''Red Hot Chili Peppers Jukebox'' Track "Contort Yourself" (compilation,

Mojo Magazine ''Mojo'' is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom, initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer. Following the success of the magazine '' Q'', publishers Emap were looking for a title that would cater for the bur ...

, 2004) * ''TV Party'' (2005) * Watchers: ''Rabble'' (guest artist) (album, 2006) * Watchers: ''Vampire Driver'' (guest artist) (album, 2006) * Acoustic Ladyland – '' Skinny Grin'' (album, 2006) * Kirin J. Callinan – Bravado (album, 2017)

References

Sources

* Masters, Marc. ''No Wave''. London: Black Dog Publishing, 2007. * Moore, Alan W., and Marc Miller (eds.). '' ABC No Rio Dinero: The Story of a Lower East Side Art Gallery''. New York: Collaborative Projects, 1985 * Pearlman, Alison, ''Unpackaging Art of the 1980s''. Chicago: University Of Chicago Press, 2003. * Reynolds, Simon. "Contort Yourself: No Wave New York." In ''Rip It Up and Start Again: Post-punk 1978–84''. London: Faber and Faber, Ltd., 2005. * Reynolds, Simon. ''Totally Wired: Post-Punk Interviews and Overviews''. London: Faber and Faber, 2009. * Taylor, Marvin J. (ed.). ''The Downtown Book: The New York Art Scene, 1974–1984'', foreword by Lynn Gumpert. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2006.

External links

Official website
*
Biography of James Chance on ZE Records
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chance, James 1953 births Living people American jazz keyboardists American jazz saxophonists American male saxophonists American punk rock saxophonists Michigan State University alumni Wisconsin Conservatory of Music alumni No wave musicians Musicians from Milwaukee American post-punk musicians ROIR artists ZE Records artists 21st-century American saxophonists 21st-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Teenage Jesus and the Jerks members James Chance and the Contortions members