Let’s do this again!
April 20, 2026
And here we are, 15 years later, about to do it again, bigger, better, and honestly, still a little bit crazy. Saturday, April 25, 2026. 18 venues. 27+ bands. 100+ musicians. One ticket. We start at 5 PM and go…
Tag
giving back
The Band Director Handbook for Bebop by the Numbers is Now Available!
August 19, 2025
Well, here we go again. It’s time to push the go button on another project. I’m excited to share that my new book, Bebop by the Numbers – Band Director Handbook, “A Super Fun, Super Simple Step-by-Step Guide on How…
Here We Go… Starting a New Music Festival – Haystack
June 26, 2025
I know what you’re thinking: Really, Danny? Another music festival?Yeah. I guess I can’t help myself. This time, it’s not jazz. It’s something that’s been rattling around in my brain for a while—like this has been three years in the…
Thirteen years later – Why are we hosting a jazz festival in North Bend, Washington?
April 22, 2024
In 2011, I started the North Bend Jazz Walk, followed by the North Bend Blues Walk six months later. These annual events raise funds for Jazz Clubs NW, a nonprofit organization supporting live jazz performances and education. Initially, the goal…
The Final Lesson –
December 28, 2023
It’s Our Turn I already mentioned this in a previous post, but I thought it was worth repeating. I think it’s a good way to sum everything up. The End of the Story As my dad was in his last…
Lesson # 15 – I don’t need anything. I have everything I need. I am so thankful.
November 20, 2023
This is the last lesson in my series Lessons from My Father and the timing of this lesson could not be more appropriate. The end of the year is approaching and the holiday season is kicking off, this is Thanksgiving…
Lesson from my father #10 – About Church; don’t go to church to get something, go to church to serve other people.
September 21, 2023
I am at a point in my life where I feel that I am doing exactly what I am supposed to do, and I have never been happier or more fulfilled. Here’s the short version of how I got here.…
Lesson #8- It’s okay to change your opinions, don’t be too proud of them. Change them all the time.
August 31, 2023
Lesson #8- It’s okay to change your opinions, don’t be too proud of them. Change them all the time – from Lessons from My Father. I have learned that I do often need to examine my opinions, and be willing…
Lesson #7- Serve others and you will find happiness
August 24, 2023
If you don’t know where to start, start by listening to them. – from Lessons from My Father ”It’s not about you.” I don’t know who said that first, but it’s a pretty common saying. I find myself repeating it…
Read these books – *The Happiness Trap* & *Man’s Search for Meaning*
August 17, 2023
This month I have been consuming two books, one on audio and the other on my Kindle. I have admittedly shared before on my blog that I am a worrier, and for me it is dibilitating at times. I am…
Lesson #6 – Listening is Love, be a good listener. And hug people too.
June 22, 2023
This morning I am again reflecting on lessons I learned from my father. This one usually comes easy for me. I like to listen to people. I like to hear them tell stories, share experiences.
Why did you start a Jazz Festival in North Bend Washington of all places?
April 17, 2023
“Why did you start a jazz festival? In North Bend Washington, of all places?” Ha. The better question is probably, why do I still run a jazz festival in North Bend? For those of you that don’t know, I started…
Hey I published a book this month
March 31, 2023
I haven’t been blogging as much lately, but for a really good reason… I finished, and published my first book. [ Sidebar, I actually wrote another book before this one but didn’t publish it. ] Bebop by the Numbers is…
A Friend Without Condition
February 14, 2023
I think the hardest words you’ll ever write are for someone that you love, especially if that someone loves you. The same is true for true friends.
“Well that didn’t work out.” When plans change…
November 24, 2022
I have learned that it’s worth the disappointment. It’s worth the discouragement. It’s even with the battles with depression. It’s perspective. It’s how I choose to look at it, and accept things. I decided at some point to no longer…
Accepting Things
October 29, 2022
Accepting Things. Accepting things and doing what you can to move on. Maybe you can change things? Maybe you can’t? That’s how things are? I’m trying to not get angry over the things that happen in my day, especially the…
Memories
October 14, 2022
What are we without our memories? What is our worth? How are we different than any other living organism? How important are the thoughts we have, and the memories we have, to the value we have? I must admit that…
Busy is easy. Less is hard.
September 27, 2022
Busy is easy. Less is hard. Will I ever have enough time? Probably not. Time seems to be the thing that I lack the most. Time with friends, with family. Time to exercise, to read, to think, to reflect, to…
Lesson #1 – Be Thankful for Everything You Have Been Given
September 19, 2022
Lesson #1 – Be thankful for everything you have been given, and say thank you all the time. – Lessons from My Father It’s easy to notice. It’s easy to compare what you have or don’t have with others. Afterall,…
Lessons From My Father
September 18, 2022
“It doesn’t matter how much money you make, how high you rise in rank in the world. You do what you love, and do it for the sake of loving someone else. There is nothing more beautiful, nothing more precious.…
Why is it important to play music?
March 27, 2016
Walter Blanding and I spent a week together on tour visiting 100’s of students across the Pacific Northwest. I managed to grab this gem of a talk answering the question, “why is it important to play music?” Click here to…
This is what it’s all about…
March 12, 2015
Some people just don’t get why it’s a big deal… On the eve of the fourth annual Jazz Walk I am reflecting on two conversations that I just had with two patrons of Boxleys while at Pioneer Coffee – the…
Getting beyond it’: Explosion can’t faze 2nd annual North Bend’s Blues Walk | Photo Gallery
April 29, 2014
Originally posted http://www.valleyrecord.com/news/257252951.html Apr 29, 2014 at 5:13PM A couple dances to the sound of Paul Green, left, and Seth Freeman at Twede’s Cafe, Saturday evening, April 26, during the second annual North Bend Blues Walk. — Image Credit: Seth Truscott/Staff…
Mardi Gras celebration marching in North Bend
February 26, 2014
Originally posted: http://snovalleystar.com/2014/02/26/mardi-gras-celebration-marching-in-north-bend By Sherry Grindeland Musicians pause from the marching during a past Mardi Gras celebration. Beads, yes. Hurricane drinks on the sidewalk, no. But in North Bend it will be the traditional “laissez les bons temps rouler” when…
Live, from North Bend: Boxley’s owners Danny, Robyn Kolke honored as Business Owners of the Year
January 30, 2014
Originally Posted: http://www.valleyrecord.com/news/189066301.html Jan 30, 2013 at 12:03PM — Image Credit: Carol Ladwig/Staff Photo by CAROL LADWIG, Snoqualmie Valley Record Editor It’s a Wednesday night at Boxley’s, and owners Danny and Robyn Kolke have got a small but growing crowd, about…
North Bend celebrates ’embarrassment of riches’ in volunteer spirit with the Kolkes, Nela Cumming
January 16, 2013
Originally posted http://www.valleyrecord.com/news/187171211.html by CAROL LADWIG, Snoqualmie Valley Record Editor Jan 16, 2013 at 12:14PM Citizen of the Year Nela Cumming, Director of Pediatric Therapy at Encompass, was recognized at the Jan. 15 North Bend City Council meeting, where Mayor…