Double Vision Jazz Ensemble

Orbit | Updated: August 26, 2026

Active since: January 1, 2023

Double Vision Jazz Ensemble — Contemporary Jazz, Texas Roots, New Collaborations

Based in Austin, Texas, Double Vision Jazz Ensemble is a contemporary acoustic jazz quartet co-led by pianist/composer Hank Hehmsoth and saxophonist/composer/arranger John Mills, with bassist Utah Hamrick and drummer Aaron Easley.

The ensemble combines original composition, improvisation, modern jazz language, Texas music history, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Hehmsoth and Mills have worked together for decades, developing a shared musical vocabulary that balances detailed writing with the spontaneity and interaction of a working jazz group.

Current Work

Double Vision is listed on the Texas Commission on the Arts 2026–2028 Texas Touring Roster, making the ensemble available to presenters throughout Texas for concerts, educational programs, lecture-demonstrations, and interdisciplinary projects.

In 2026, Double Vision is at the center of an H Project Performing Arts Association (HPPAA) series supported by the City of Austin AACME Elevate program. Projects include performances devoted to Texas jazz history, youth jazz education, guest-artist collaborations, and new work connecting jazz with other artistic disciplines.

A major current project is Double Vision + Invoke, an eight-piece collaboration with Austin’s acclaimed Invoke string quartet. New music and arrangements by Hehmsoth and Mills bring together piano, saxophone, bass, drums, two violins, viola, and cello in a chamber-jazz setting where the strings function as active ensemble voices rather than simple accompaniment.

The collaboration will be presented October 14, 2026 at Monks Jazz in Austin as part of Midweek at Monks, sponsored by the Austin Jazz Society.

Texas Jazz History

Double Vision also develops programs exploring the history and continuing influence of Texas jazz musicians.

Recent work includes an Eddie Durham Tribute presented at the Texas Music Museum, celebrating the San Marcos-born guitarist, trombonist, arranger, composer, and early electric-guitar innovator whose career connected Texas music with Count Basie, Jimmie Lunceford, Glenn Miller, and the wider history of American jazz.

These programs combine live performance, original arrangements, archival research, historical commentary, and collaborations with musicians, writers, museums, and educational organizations.

Music, Visual Art & Creative Research

Hehmsoth’s work as a visual artist and composer also informs Double Vision’s interdisciplinary projects. Music from the ensemble’s recording Blu-Escape has been paired with Hehmsoth’s abstract paintings in performances, exhibitions, and educational programs exploring the relationship between visual form, musical structure, improvisation, color, and gesture.

The result is an ensemble identity that reaches beyond the conventional jazz concert while remaining grounded in the central jazz values of original composition, improvisation, interaction, and individual voice.

Hank Hehmsoth — piano, composition
John Mills — saxophones, flute, composition and arranging
Utah Hamrick — bass
Aaron Easley — drums

Explore Double Vision

Double Vision At Supple Music Series On March 31: A Jazz & Visual Art Fusion

Source: Hank Hehmsoth
March 13, 2025

Double Vision’s Landmark Performance at Supple Music Series A Multidisciplinary Jazz & Visual Art Experience That Showcases a Year of Innovation Double Vision, the groundbreaking jazz ensemble led by Hank Hehmsoth and Dr John Mills, will present its most ambitious performance to date at the Supple Music Series on March 31, 2025. This regionally significant event blends original jazz compositions with abstract visual art, showcasing a year of artistic innovation supported by the Aaron Copland Fund for Music and the ...
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“The many mood and style changes heard throughout Blu-Escape will keep one guessing and consistently enthralled.”
— Scott Yanow, Los Angeles Jazz Scene
November 2025

“Harmonies are really beautiful. I really appreciate the dynamism of the composition.”
— Crâne de Poule, France

Contact

Publicist

McGuckin Entertainment PR

Management

H Project Performing Arts Association (HPPAA)

Management and booking

Booking & Management

H Project Performing Arts Association (HPPAA)
Hank Hehmsoth — Founder & President
Email: hank@hppaa.org
Phone: 512-915-2536
Website: www.hppaa.org

Publicity

Heidi Labensart
McGuckin Entertainment PR
Email: heidi@mcguckinpr.com
Phone: 512-698-2621

Presenter Information

Concert performances
Jazz education workshops and clinics
Lecture-demonstrations
Texas jazz-history programs
Interdisciplinary and guest-artist collaborations

Double Vision Jazz Ensemble — HPPAA
Touring & Booking Information

Links

Website Apple Music Bandsintown Facebook iHeart Radio Instagram Qobuz Spotify Tidal YouTube

Double Vision Jazz Ensemble