Category Archives: Commentary

R.I.P.: James Chance of the Contortions Remembered

Text by Dawoud Kringle

James Chance Saxophonist, bandleader of The Contortions and Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, and No Wave pioneer James Chance passed away.

Born James Alan Siegfried in Milwaukee, Chance began studying piano in elementary school and in his teens began playing the alto saxophone. He attended Michigan State University and Wisconsin Conservatory of Music in Milwaukee where he formed the James Siegfried Quintet and Death, a Stooges-influenced group. He would later study with jazz saxophonist David Murray.

He moved to New York in 1975 and began using the stage name James Chance. A year later he formed Teenage Jesus and the Jerks with singer Lydia Lunch. In 1977 he formed the first version of the Contortions.

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AI

A Deep Dive Into How A.I. Affects Musicians

Commentary by Jerome Harris (MFM)

(Note: this is Jerome Harris’ submission for  Local 802’s A.I. series who has been a member of Local 802 since 1979. Sohrab who’s also a member of Local 802 read this article in ALLEGRO – the Local 802 digital publication of news, articles, and discussions about issues that are important for organized musicians – and got permission from Jerome to share it with the MFM community.)

When thinking about artificial intelligence from the perspective of those for whom music making is a livelihood, it’s useful to note a distinction. There are various forms of AI; the one that is most concerning for workers in creative fields is generative AI. This technology can assemble (“generate”) new material based on the patterns it finds in old material. This involves feeding vast amounts of digitized data — including recorded music — into powerful computer systems designed to analyze and isolate patterns. This is called “training” these AI systems. The systems can then be ordered to fabricate recordings based on those patterns, as specified by commands such as text-based prompts. Note that the underlying compositions and their recordings that are being used for AI training were created by humans and are owned by them or by business entities unless they are in the public domain.

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Iranian Rapper Toomaj Salehi – “Musicians with Attitude (MwA)” – Sentenced to Death

Text by Dawoud Kringle

Toomaj SalehiIranian rapper/poet Toomaj Salehi has been sentenced to death!

Salehi was born in Iran on December 3rd, 1990. He is a laborer in a metalworks factory. He began recording hip-hop as a means of protest against the social injustices of the Iranian regime.

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In Memoriam: Bassist T.M. Stevens

Text by Dawoud Kringle

The world of music was saddened to learn of the passing of bassist Thomas Michael Stevens / T.M. Stevens (a.k.a. Shaka Zulu).

Born in New York City on July 28, 1951, Stevens studied biology in school, but at the suggestion of his professor decided to drop out to focus on music. He honed his skills by playing in after-hours clubs around the city. He soon became established on the scene and began working as a session musician who excelled in a wide range of genres.

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