We are proud to announce that John Mills TIMES TEN, “CAFFEINE DREAMS” is on the 54th Grammy nomination submissions list. If you are a voting member of the Recording Academy, please check out John’s great compositions (Flywheel) & arrangements (Conundrum) for this large instrumental jazz ensemble, the awesome engineering by Spencer Starnes, Bee Creek Studios plus the great solos played by Jon Blondell (Cut to the Chase) and Justin Vasquez (Flywheel).

“Times Ten sprang to life over a few weeks but gestated for a few decades before its January 2009 debut. If it were as easy for me to gather talented and like-minded musicians to play this music as it is to dream it up, then this would probably be the twenty-first, rather than the very first Times Ten CD.” - John Mills

Caffeine Dreams is a true testimony to John Mill’s brilliant musical sensibilities.  John Mills is an understated powerhouse of a reed     player with compositions that excite and challenge the best jazz musicians as well as the listener.  The band John Mills Times Ten opened the 2010 Austin Jazz Festival, performed at the Cactus Music Series in San Angelo, Texas and will be participating in festivals and music clinics around the country.  They reside at the internationally acclaimed Elephant Room in Austin, Texas where they perform the last Wednesday of every month.

The band is a celebration of the extraordinary — pushing the envelope on rhythmic energy, exploring melodic twists and turns, and bringing out the unexpected from some of this city’s finest soloists.  Band members are Jake Lampe, soprano and alto sax, Joey Colarusso on bari sax and bass clarinet, Eric Johnson on trumpet and flugelhorn, Rich Haering on trumpet and flugelhorn, Michael Mordecai on trombone, Russell Scanlon on guitar, John Arndt on piano, Kris Afflerbaugh on bass and Rob Kazenel on drums.

John’s first instrument was clarinet in the junior high band. Living in Houston, Texas at the age of 13,  he started his first band “The Tijuana Wood”.  While that may have been short-lived he continued to play.  He came to Austin to pursue a degree in computer science where he teamed up with Fable Records founder, Michael Mordecai and formed Starcrost (a somewhat legendary jazz/rock fusion band) who’s self-titled first, and only,  release is still coveted by DJs and music lovers worldwide.  Mills has written countless charts from experimental jazz to college ensemble works to film and commercial radio/television ads.  He has performed with artist such as Stevie Ray Vaughan, Lyle Lovett, Kenny Wheeler, Carla Bley and Willie Nelson.

Dr. John Mills is currently an associate Professor of Jazz Composition/Jazz Saxophone at the University of Texas at Austin’s Butler School of Music. Their new release, Caffeine Dreams offers up some of Mills’ current compositions as well as some originally conceived for the likes ofTina Marsh’s Creative Opportunity Orchestra & Bob Meyer’s Concept Orchestra.