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. Upon returning to the United States in 1996 Eric was signed to the independent label Some Records, culminating in the release of the CD Um…Er..Uh… Eric toured successfully several times in support of this release highlighted by his billing at the Olympia in Paris. Known for featuring performers from history such as The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix, Eric has also gained notoriety for working with famed producer Hal Willner on such projects as The Poe Project, two benefits for the Poetry Project (The Music of Doc Pomus and the writing of the Marquis De Sade) and A Tribute to Harry Smith (in support of the Harry Smith archives) having performed in these concerts (including one at the Royal Festival Hall) Eric was able to collaborate with an eclectic group of musicians, Marianne Faithful, Beck, Todd Rundgren, Jarvis Cocker, Nick Cave, Beth Orton and Elvis Costello to name but a few. Eric Mingus has been featured in Vibe, Rolling Stone, Paper, and Bass Player magazines. The New York Daily News named Eric one of “50 New Yorkers To Watch in 2001″.
Currently Eric is working with musician Elliott Sharp, they can be heard together on many of Elliott Sharp’s Terraplane recordings. Elliot produced Eric’s second CD. Too Many Bullets, Not Enough Soul (released in Europe May 2002 by Some Records). Eric can often be heard playing with his quartet in New York City at such clubs as Joe’s Pub, The Knitting Factory, Tonic and The Cutting Room.. Eric Mingus comes by innovation honestly. He is bold and unafraid to mince words. Echoing Marvin Gaye crooning about death and taxes, or Gil Scott”Heron looking for “Whitey on the Moon”, Mingus is bleakly sweet, slyly political, pissed off and informed. Eric Mingus’ music surely shows influences from many forms of music.. You will find blues.. hints of jazz.. A touch of electronics.. A dash of R&B And a bit of wailing rock.. He sings deep and soulful.. Sweet and innocent.. Harsh and devilish Speaks words written from his soul honest and unafraid to show his wounds, but able to heal himself.
Catherine Sikora is from Ireland, and spent some time in Leeds, England (at University) and in Berlin, Germany before moving to New York, where she embarked on a serious study of abstract/chromatic improvisation. Currently, in addition to her own projects, she is honored to be working with Eric Mingus, fulfilling a lifelong dream of working with a poet. She spends her time practicing, reading poetry and hitting things. Sikora believes that even when she is not playing the saxophone, she is always playing the saxophone, and also that she is never playing the saxophone. It’s very simple, really.
Michael Evans has been actively performing, recording and composing for many years. As well as being an accomplished drummer and percussionist, he works with unusual sound sources including homemade instruments, found objects and items not normally used musically._A self proclaimed lover of many different styles of music, his latest obsession is to research the history of one- man bands, and eventually create one himself. With this as his inspiration, he has spent a lot of time developing his virtuosity as a solo percussionist.
Sarah Ibrahim is a sound designer/composer and vocalist based in Los Angeles. Using her powerful soprano voice, she creates structured improvisations layered with amplified overtones and digital noise. She has performed at Issue Project Room and the Kitchen in New York and at Dangerous Curve in Downtown LA. Her sound and video work has also appeared in plays in New York and at CalArts, where she is currently working towards an MFA in Sound Design and Integrated Media.