JOHN JANOWIAK

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www.johnnyshowtime.com

Johnny Showtime (a.k.a. John Janowiak) has carved out a niche as an in-demand trombone soloist and section man for a wide variety of groups and recording projects. With a brawny, hard-swinging style that straddles the line between old-school funk and modern jazz, Showtime has a way of making audiences listen.

Showtime is probably best known for his trombone work in Liquid Soul, which he played in from 1995 to early 2003. He recorded on three of the band's four albums, including the Grammy-nominated Here's the Deal (2000). The gig took him all over the United States and Canada, plus Mexico, Japan, Germany and Turkey. The years 1998-2000 were the band's busiest, with close to 200 gigs a year, most of them on the road. For Showtime, some of the most memorable gigs were President Clinton's Inaugural parade and ball (1997), opening for Sting (1997 and 2000) and playing at Dennis Rodman's famous birthday party at Crobar (1996).

Showtime studied English at the University of Illinois and received a master's degree from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, culminating in editorial positions at Down Beat, Music Inc. and Up Beat Daily magazines. He played trombone all along, juggling gigs with blues, R&B, highlife and jazz bands and sitting in at various Chicago jam sessions.

After leaving Liquid Soul, Showtime formed his own soul-jazz combo, Soulio, which is going strong in the Chicago area. He continues to perform regularly with a wide variety of bands around Chicago.

       

 

 

 

Johnny Showtime in 1986, performing on a radio show in Champaign, Ill., with the highlife band Bontuku
Also pictured: Mitch Paliga, sax, and Jeff Helgesen, trumpet).  Back then they didn't call him Showtime -- they called him Jed, the Sheriff or Jesus

 

      

  

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