The Jazz Purveyor Presents: Charles Mingus Birthday Anniversary with Eric Mingus

Wed, Apr 22

Join us for a live taping and listening-room concert celebrating the Birthday Anniversary of Great American Composer Charles Mingus with Eric Mingus! A must-see for jazz lovers, this unforgettable evening features a rare and special gift from Eric to the Music Community of Texas, followed by a late night jam. Eric Mingus – Vocals Theo Hill – Piano Boris Kozlov – Bass Daniel Dufour – Drums “Making the complicated simple – awesomely simple – that’s creativity” – Charles Mingus Multi-instrumentalist, composer, vocalist, and poet Eric Mingus has been steeped in the jazz tradition since birth, using that foundation to create musical worlds that sit outside genre while remaining deeply informed by it. Born in New York City to Charles and Judy Mingus, he grew up under and around the piano as his father composed, studied cello and music theory with Charles, drums with Dannie Richmond, and later shifted to double bass while winning awards for his vocal performances in school. After early studies (including a stint at Berklee), he took his education to the road, touring as a vocalist with Carla Bley, Bobby McFerrin, and Karen Mantler, and performing with Percy Heath, Jimmy Heath, George Adams, Don Pullen, Wolfgang Puschnig, Steven Bernstein’s Millennial Territory Orchestra, and others, with appearances at major festivals from Berlin, Montreal, and Saalfelden to Adelaide, Bonnaroo, and NYC’s Summerstage and Celebrate Brooklyn. Eric’s work as a writer and composer includes commissions for the Berlin Jazz Festival (poems marking the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1964 Berlin speech), Yo-Yo Ma’s Our Common Nature initiative, and the Centre Culturel Irlandais in Paris, as well as an in-progress family-history project performed with Yo-Yo Ma at the Mingus Mill burial ground of his enslaved ancestors. His long-running commitment to spoken word and jazz includes a duo with the inimitable Howard Johnson and a celebrated recording of Langston Hughes’ poetry with David Amram; he has also engaged selectively with his father’s repertoire, from Mingus Dynasty’s Blues and Politics to writing lyrics and singing “Work Song (Break the Chains)” on The Charles Mingus Centennial Sessions. An active educator, Eric serves as a judge and educator for the annual Charles Mingus High School competition and has led workshops, masterclasses, and lectures at institutions including Berklee, Harvard, UC Irvine, London’s Community Music House, Banlieues Bleues, and In Situ Arts Society; he recently completed a new solo recording for Ouch! Records and continues to perform and develop new work. “Eric Mingus has the kind of voice to die for, truly; so evocative.” — I-94 Bar Unveiling “Memories of a Dragon – The Mingus Spirit” An art installation for the Musicians of Austin, inspired by Charles Mingus’ Roth “Lion-head bass” Note from the Artist: Memories of a Dragon – The Mingus Spirit is my carved response to the bass that stood beside my father for most of his life: the dragon‑headed instrument that witnessed him in the LA studios with the Jazz All Stars, onstage with Bird and Monk at the Open Door, and through the arc of his career. This piece imagines what that bass absorbed—every night, every sideman, every fight over who gets to hold the story—and turns those memories into a new object for the Mingus line. Note from the Producer: We are pleased to present this singular work to the musicians and listeners of Austin, Texas. May it be a totem for the community – to inspire and remind us the depths at which we are able to reach, the breadth of expressible human experience, and the density of substance available to us in pursuit of a rich and meaningful musical life, as we share our artistry, curiosity, and hearts in connection with each other. Presented by The Jazz Purveyor --------------------------------------- RELATED EVENTS w. ERIC MINGUS Mon Apr 20 – Nightshade Gallery, Lockhart TX – Vocal Salon & Preview Tues Apr 21 – Bramble @ Uncommon Objects, ATX – Solo Performance Questions? Contact The Jazz Purveyor, text +1(929) DIG-JAZZ