James Chance, also known as James White (born James Siegfried, April 20, 1953 – June 18, 2024), was an American saxophonist, keyboard player, and singer. A key figure in

no wave No wave was an avant-garde music genre and visual art scene that emerged in the late 1970s in Downtown New York City. The term was a pun based on the rejection of commercial new wave music. Reacting against punk rock's recycling of rock and r ...

, Chance played 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. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

-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 from the late 1970s on, in such bands as

Teenage Jesus and the Jerks Teenage Jesus and the Jerks were an 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 apartment. She starte ...

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 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 ra ...

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

Background

James Siegfried was born in

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

in 1953, growing up there and in the suburb of

Brookfield, Wisconsin Brookfield is a city in eastern Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. It had a population of 41,464 at the 2020 census. The city is adjacent to the Town of Brookfield and is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. History Brookfield i ...

. Siegfried attended

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State o ...

, 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 ...

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

the Stooges The Stooges or Iggy and the Stooges, originally billed as the Psychedelic Stooges, were an American rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1967 by singer Iggy Pop, guitarist Ron Asheton, drummer Scott Asheton, and bassist Dave Alexande ...

and

the Velvet Underground The Velvet Underground were an American Rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1964. Its classic lineup consisted of singer and guitarist Lou Reed, Welsh multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and percussionis ...

before moving toward original songs.

Career

At the end of 1975, Siegfried 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, or free form in the early to mid-1970s, is a style of avant-garde jazz or an experimental approach to jazz improvisation that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s, when musicians attempted to change or break down jazz conventi ...

and

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, he 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 mi ...

rhythms, with live shows often ending in violent confrontations with audience members. By this time, he had adopted the stage name James Chance. The Contortions reached a wider audience with their contribution to the

Brian Eno Brian Peter George Jean-Baptiste de la Salle Eno (, born 15 May 1948), also mononymously known as Eno, is an English musician, songwriter, record producer, visual artist, and activist. He is best known for his pioneering contributions to ambien ...

-compiled ''

No New York ''No New York'' is a no wave compilation album released in 1978 by record label Antilles under the curation of producer Brian Eno. Although it only contains songs by four different artists, it has been considered important in defining and docu ...

'' 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, producer, professor of directing and one of the most influential and famous LGBT social move ...

's film ''Das Todesmagazin'' in 1979. While Chance shared an apartment with No Wave musical luminary

, the duo created seminal No Wave group Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, which 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 Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...

. 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 discussed issues of race and working with black musicians 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''. In ...

, 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 (February 1955 – June 19, 1981) was a Taiwanese fashion designer and the co-founder of the New York nightclub the Mudd Club. Phillips influenced the fashion, sound, and look of the New York-based no wave scene of the late 1970s. Sh ...

, 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 Bo ...

. 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 Bowie ...

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 Carbondale is a city in Jackson County, Illinois, United States, within the Southern Illinois region informally known as "Little Egypt". As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 25,083, making it the most po ...

, playing Chicago, their hometown Milwaukee, and much of the Midwest. Chance briefly relocated to Paris, 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 coll ...

(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 had died of an accidental drug overdose in 1980 and his slot was filled by

Erik Sanko Erik Sanko (born 27 September 1963) is an American bass player who has played in The Lounge Lizards, Skeleton Key and currently active in Knife Thrower and SQURL. Biography In the past he also worked with notable musicians including Marc Ribot, ...

. The reunited group 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 as the band's debut single in 1966. The song is from their 1967 debut studio album, ''The Velvet Underground & Nico''. Inspiration for the so ...

music festival, and, in 2008, at the PS1 Warm Up series. Chance also recorded with Blondie after coming out of 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 occasionally performed and recorded with the Chicago band Watchers. In Europe, he performed with James Chance & Les Contortions, French musicians who had 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, Oregon 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 Gilbert Scott-Heron (April 1, 1949 – May 27, 2011) was an American Jazz poetry, jazz poet, singer, musician, and author known for his work as a spoken-word performer in the 1970s and 1980s. His collaborative efforts with musician Brian Jackso ...

's "Home is Where The Hatred Is." 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. He gave his final performance in 2019.

Death

Chance was in poor health in the final years of his life, and he died from a

gastrointestinal disease Gastrointestinal diseases (abbrev. GI diseases or GI illnesses) refer to diseases involving the Human gastrointestinal tract, gastrointestinal tract, namely the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine and rectum; and the accessory or ...

at a nursing home in

East Harlem East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem, or , is a neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City, north of the Upper East Side and bounded by 96th Street to the south, Fifth Avenue to the west, and the East and Harlem Rivers to the eas ...

on June 18, 2024, at the age of 71.

Discography

Albums

;James Chance and the Contortions * ''

Buy Buy may refer to a trade, i.e., an exchange of goods and services via bartering or a monetary purchase. The term may also refer to: Places * Buy (inhabited locality), any of several inhabited localities in Russia * Burlington-Alamance Regional A ...

'' (

ZE Records ZE Records was a New York–based record label, started in 1978 by Michael Zilkha and Michel Esteban, and closed in 1984. It was reestablished by Esteban in 2003; its website was last updated in 2019. History Michael Zilkha (b. 1954) is a Br ...

, 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, 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 or PRE may refer to: Places *Preston railway station, UK National Rail code PRE *Preston railway station, Melbourne * Prince Edward station, on Hong Kong's MTR People * Steve Prefontaine (1951–1975), an American runner nicknamed "Pre" Art ...

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

'' (soundtrack, 1981) *

Debbie Harry Deborah Ann Harry (born Angela Trimble, July 1, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter and actress, best known as the lead vocalist of the band Blondie (band), Blondie. Four of her songs with the band reached on the US charts between 1979 and 1 ...

: ''

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 year ...

'' (album, 1986) * ''Medium Cool'' (compilation, 1991),

Chet Baker Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker Jr. (December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist. He is known for major innovations in cool jazz that led him to be nicknamed the "Prince of Cool". Baker earned much attention and ...

tribute with

Alex Chilton William Alexander Chilton (December 28, 1950March 17, 2010) was an American musician, best known as the lead singer of the rock bands the Box Tops and Big Star. Chilton's early commercial success in the 1960s as a teen vocalist for the Box Tops ...

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

No Exit ''No Exit'' (, ) 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 centers around a depiction of the afterlife in which three deceased characters a ...

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

Mojo Magazine ''Mojo'' (stylised in all caps) 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 ...

, 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 Kieran John Callinan (born 21 January 1986), known by his stage name Kirin J. Callinan, is an Australian singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is also a founding member of Mercy Arms and has played with the Night Game, Jack Ladder and the Dream ...

– Bravado (album, 2017)

References

Sources

* Masters, Marc. ''No Wave''. London: Black Dog Publishing, 2007. * Moore, Alan W., and Marc Miller (eds.). ''

ABC No Rio ABC No Rio is a collectively-run nonprofit arts organization on New York City's Lower East Side. Founded in 1980 in a squat at 156 Rivington Street, following the eviction of the 1979–80 Real Estate Show, the center featured an art gallery s ...

Dinero: The Story of a

Lower East Side The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Historically, it w ...

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 2024 deaths 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century American saxophonists American jazz keyboardists American jazz saxophonists American male jazz musicians American male saxophonists American post-punk musicians American punk rock saxophonists James Chance and the Contortions members Michigan State University alumni Musicians from Milwaukee No wave musicians ROIR artists Teenage Jesus and the Jerks members Wisconsin Conservatory of Music alumni ZE Records artists