>> Eric Mingus
bio: Eric mingus was born in New York. He grew up through a maze of twists and turns, some musical, some just bizarre. There was the teenage gig as a lighting and stage director for a "Borscht Belt" resort hotel, an early stint as an amateur boxer, and of course, three months spent as house martini mixer in the boardroom of the Old Grandad whiskey company. All along, music was a staple. After studying voice and bass with various luminaries of the music world and a brief semester at Berklee college of music, Eric sought the education of the road, touring as a vocalist. The artists he worked with included Carla Bley and Karen Mantler. This was also the period where Eric made his first recordings. Karen Mantler And Her Cat Arnold (XTRAWATT) and Mingus Dynasty Next Generation (Columbia). Moving to London in 1994, Eric met trumpeter Jim Dvorak and they formed a poetry based duet which resulted in the recording of This Isn't Sex (SLAM Records UK). Eric worked in many major European venues, including The Jazz Cafe, London; Quasimodo, Berlin; and Momontra, Copenhagen. He also played at all of the major European jazz festivals. Additionally, Eric taught vocal improvisation classes and a Charles Mingus workshop at London's Community Music House.
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