About Andrew Janak
Dr. Andrew Janak is the Instructor of Jazz Saxophone at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley and active saxophonist/composer/arranger/educator throughout the Midwest and Mountain West.
Andrew has shared the stage with artists such as Vincent Gardner, Phil Woods, Wayne Bergeron and Jimmy Heath and recorded in big bands with Randy Brecker and Jeff Hamilton. Recently he has worked with some of the Midwest’s finest jazz musicians/groups such as Mitch Towne, Marcus Lewis, Bob Lark’s Alumni Band Band, Drew Zaremba Fellowship Jazz Orchestra and the Tom Matta Big Band. He also has performed/recorded with national acts such as the Temptations, Aloe Blacc, Johnny Mathis, Wayne Brady, Michael Feinstein and Justin Townes Earle. As a classical saxophonist Andrew studied with renowned performer/pedagogue Dr. Paul Haar and performed with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Wind Ensemble, Omaha Symphony, Lincoln Symphony, Lincoln Municipal Band and various chamber groups.
Also a prolific composer, some of Andrew’s compositions have been performed/recorded by groups around the United States including the UNL Jazz Orchestra with Victor Lewis, DePaul Jazz Ensemble with Randy Brecker, Bob Lark's Alumni Big Band and the Nebraska Jazz Orchestra. He was also a finalist for the ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Awards and received a Downbeat Outstanding Performance award for outstanding graduate college arrangement.
Dr. Janak is also an active scholar with research interests in jazz composition, jazz saxophone and jazz improvisation pedagogy. He has presented at the International Society of Jazz Arrangers and Composers (ISJAC) Symposium, Regional North American Saxophone Alliance (NASA) Conference and the Jazz Education Network (JEN) Conference. Andrew graduated with a bachelors degree in music education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, a masters of music in jazz composition from DePaul University, and a DMA in jazz studies/composition from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He has released three albums as a leader featuring mostly his own compositions and arrangements: Borrowed Time, No Second Guessing and Colobraska Band. Andrew is on faculty at the University of Northern Colorado where he teaches applied jazz saxophone and various other ensembles and academic jazz courses.