The 29th annual Jazz in June concert series continues June 23 with an online performance by the Andrew Janak Trio.
The concert is 7 to 8 p.m. on the Jazz in June Facebook page.
Janak is a saxophonist, composer, arranger and educator based in Lincoln. He has shared the stage with many jazz greats and has performed and recorded with national acts such as the Temptations, Aloe Blacc, Johnny Mathis, Michael Feinstein and Justin Townes Earle. He has also worked with various jazz groups around the Midwest, such as the Omaha Big Band, Mike Gurciullo and His Las Vegas Lab Band, Bob Lark’s Alumni Big Band, the Tom Matta Big Band, and Andrew Janak and Wind Armada, a progressive jazz group specializing in original music.
Janak’s compositions have been performed and recorded by groups around the United States, including the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Jazz Orchestra with Victor Lewis, DePaul University Jazz Ensemble with Randy Brecker, Bob Lark’s Alumni Big Band and Nebraska Jazz Orchestra.
Janak is also a scholar with research interests in jazz composition, jazz saxophone and jazz improvisation pedagogy. He holds a bachelor’s degree in music education from Nebraska, master’s degree in jazz composition from DePaul University and doctoral degree in jazz studies/composition from Nebraska. His debut album, “Borrowed Time,” was released in June 2017. He is the adjunct instructor of saxophone at Doane University in Crete and assistant director of bands at Mission Middle School in Bellevue.
This year’s Jazz in June series, presented by the Cooper Foundation, features Nebraska artists who have fewer opportunities to perform during the coronavirus pandemic. Online concerts are 7 to 8 p.m. CST each Tuesday through July 7 on the Jazz in June Facebook page.
The remaining performances are:
June 30: Jackie Allen and Hans Sturm — a vocal-bass duet and hometown favorites
July 7: Mesonjixx — a trio led by soul-jazz artist Mary Lawson of Omaha
Jazz in June is a collaboration between the University of Nebraska, Lied Center for Performing Arts, Downtown Lincoln Association and Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts. Learn more.