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Andrew Janak
Saxophone/composer/arranger and current instructor of jazz saxophone at the University of Northern Colorado
About Me
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 jazz greats Randy Brecker, Jeff Hamilton, Phil Woods and
Jimmy Heath. Recently he has worked with some of the Midwest’s finest jazz musicians such as
Mitch Towne, Marcus Lewis, Peter Schlamb, Nebraska Jazz Orchestra, Bob Lark’s Alumni Band
Band and the Tom Matta Big Band. Andrew has several creative projects specializing in original
music such as the Andrew Janak Organ Trio, Andrew Janak and Wind Armada and the Andrew
Janak Octet. He also has performed/recorded with national acts such as the Temptations, Aloe
Blacc, Johnny Mathis, Wayne Brady, Michael Feinstein and Justin Townes Earle.
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, 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. His sophomore album No Second was released in 2024. Andrew joined the faculty of
the University of Northern Colorado in Fall 2021 where he teaches applied jazz saxophone, jazz
improvisation, jazz arranging and jazz theory.