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 to midnight, where downtown North Bend turns into one massive jazz festival.
Tag: giving back
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 to Teach Jazz Improvisation,” is now available — You can order it online here. It will soon be available on Amazon and other retailers once another round of revisions is approved, but if you want to get a jump on the school year in jazz band, you can grab the first edition now.
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 making. Something rootsy, honest, and a little dustier. It’s called Haystack Music Fest, and it’s … Continue reading Here We Go… Starting a New Music Festival – Haystack
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 was to generate awareness for the nonprofit and our jazz club - Boxleys. However, as more local businesses got involved, we realized the festival had much broader benefits beyond fundraising. Now when you buy a ticket for the North Bend Jazz Walk, you are supporting programming for students all year long, plus so much more...
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 days, dying from a cancer that decreased his ability to be present with us, I … Continue reading The Final Lesson –
Danny Kolke 