Eric Mingus was quite literally born into the music life. He had this rather famous, groundbreaking, jazz bassist of a father by the name of Charles. Like his dad, Eric plays the bass and is a tough-as-nails iconoclast with plenty to say. After spending most of his career as a sideman and session musican for jazz bigshots like Bobby McFerrin and Carla Bley, Eric Mingus has stepped into the limelight with his unique blend of jazz, soul, blues, and poetry that incorporates the street-smart honesty of Gil Scott Heron, the groovy electro-funk of Herbie Hancock, the soul and passion of Marvin Gaye, and the gritty populist folk of Ben Harper.
In 1998, Mingus and trumpeter Jim Dvorak recorded How I Miss My Gun on Some Records. It was an unconvential blues/jazz/soul hybrid that got a fair amount of critical acclaim. A year later Mingus returned with a solo Some release, Um...Er...Uh... (sound familiar? Remember his papa's 1959 classic Mingus Ah Um?). That record includes the startlingly direct "His Blood's in Me," a percussion- and voice-based meditation on mixed race childhood, and the sweet soulful "Romantic Fool," which highlights Mingus's warm dusky rough-edged voice.
Jesse Ashlock
last updated:
08/28/01
This music filed under:
Spoken Word,
Blues,
Soul,
Jazz,
R&B,
Funk
