Bassist and multi-instrumentalist James Ilgenfritz was born in Monroe, Michigan, November 16, 1978. Originally he was influenced by non--musical artists as beat poets William Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, writers Herman Hesse, Franz Kafka, Ken Wilber and Thich Nhat Hanh, comic book artists Matt Wagner and Frank Miller, visual artists Egon Schiele, Andrew Wyeth, Marcel Duchamp, and filmmakers David Lynch, John Waters, Stanley Kubrick. His educational experiences were as diverse as his influences, including summer studies at the Interlochen Center for the Arts from 1992-1996, graduating from St. Mary Catholic Central High School in 1997, followed by a short stint at Eastern Michigan University.

He earned a B.A. in jazz and contemporary improvisation from the University of Michigan in 2002, where he studied with Ed Sarath, Steve Rush, Diana Gannett, and Stuart Sankey. While still in Michigan he played with several ensembles, most prominently Bill Brovold's Larval, and with saxophonist Dan Bennett. He moved to New York State and sought guidance over the years from bassists Norm Damschroder, John Lindberg, Mark Helias, and Mark Dresser. A brief stay in San Diego from 2005-2006 saw Ilgenfritz enrolled in the Master's performance program at the University of California/San Diego, working and studying specifically with bassist Dresser, as well as cellist Charles Curtis, and Max/MSP creator Miller Puckette.

He then relocated to Brooklyn, New York, and has found a home working with like minded improvisers Gary Lucas, Andrew D'Angelo, Chris Speed, Lukas Ligeti, Steve Swell, Michael Formanek, David Krakauer, Eyal Maoz and Tim Berne. A variety of ensembles he leads or co-leads include the Anagram Ensemble, Trio Caveat, Trichotomy, the Sound Infusion Creative Music and Hypercolor. He is also involved as a facilitator with the International Society for Improvised Music, founded by Sarath and Sarah Weaver, dedicated to the promotion of creativity and improvisation across disciplines. He has toured cross-country, in Canada, frequently in New York City with many ensembles, and has also recently become a conductor of Soundpainting, the multidisciplinary language for conducting improvisation created by Walter Thompson. He co-conducts and performs in Weave, a touring ensemble with trombonist and fellow sound painter Sarah Weaver. ~ Michael G. Nastos, Rovi