Eric Mingus and up to four other vocalists use words and melody to trace the roots of our human connection, with emphasis on human migration; paying tribute to the fact that so often in forced migration, the only thing a person can carry with them is a song. 

This project was initiated in spring of 2024, when Eric was commissioned to compose and present new work at FreshGrass Bentonville. He presented a set of new vocal works with a quartet comprised of vocalists Kayla Carpenter, Aaron Lewys and Zion Jackson. In addition to performing Eric’s compositions, each singer was invited to perform a solo song of their choice, underscoring his commitment to freedom of expression for each individual, and his desire to support the development of the creative voices of the group members.

Eric has a long-standing practice of creating multi layered vocal harmonies, which prior to this commission had all been done in studio—check out the track below for one such example. Having the opportunity to explore this in real time live performance with a wonderful group os singers was a joy, and the performance was a huge success. Moving forward, Eric is working to find a supportive label home for this project, and looking forward to sharing the work in live performance. Plans are also in place to offer community workshops with the ensemble, inviting participants to experience the uniquely beautiful experience of group singing with improvisation.

“Sacred Routes” honors the song as a means of universal communication; where language can fail, song may still be understood. Using the human voice, along with percussive sounds made using the body (hand claps, foot stomps etc), and handmade acoustic instruments crafted by Eric.