Johnny Showtime (John Janowiak) has carved out a niche as an in-demand trombonist for a wide variety of groups and recording projects. Showtime is best known for his trombone work in Liquid Soul, in which he played from 1995 to early 2003 – and again in recent series of reunion shows. He recorded on three of the band’s albums, including the Grammy-nominated Here’s the Deal. The gig took him all over North America, Japan and Europe, with appearances at the Montreal Jazz Festival, the Newport Jazz Festival, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, President Bill Clinton’s Inaugural Ball, and many other notable venues. In 2004, Showtime formed his own soul-jazz combo, Soulio. He produced the band’s first CD and continues to gig with the band in and around Chicago. He also works regularly with Tributosaurus and various other Chicago-area bands.