Archive for February 10th, 2010

John Mills is one of central Texas’ most in-demand saxophonists, arrangers, and composers, covering a complete spectrum of musical styles — jazz, R&B, salsa, classical, rock ‘n roll, world music, country, funk, alternative, blues, folk, gospel, and more — in concert and in the recording studio. During his diverse professional career he has performed, arranged, and composed on a vast number of CD’s, film/TV soundtracks, and jingles.

He is an also an active educator, clinician and adjudicator. While Director of Jazz Studies at Southwest Texas State University, his students won three Downbeat Magazine awards and he designed a bachelor’s of Music degree in Jazz Studies which is now fully approved by the Texas governing board and enjoying success. Some of his former students have toured with the jazz orchestras of Ray Charles, Harry Connick Jr., and Maynard Ferguson.

John Mills’ new CD on 482 Records, Courage “The Way Out Is Via the Door,” teams him with legendary jazz bassist Steve Swallow and revered poet Robert Creeley. This unique project showcases his compositions as well as his improvisations on saxophones, flute, bass clarinet, and textural keyboards.