Tag · 40 posts

greatness

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…

Happy Birthday today to my hero! My dad!

March 13, 2015

Happy Birthday today to my hero! My dad! Daniel Arthur Kolke, Sr. is 85 years young today. I took this first picture of my parents in Krakow Poland on a family trip to trace our roots. My dad was born…

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…

What declaration shall you make?

July 2, 2009

Just think that 233 years ago; the continental congress was in the final hours of deliberating what to do. They decided to risk everything so we could have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. They stood…

What Makes Someone Great?

June 19, 2009

What makes someone great? What creates greatness? Do leaders ask to be great? Do they desire to be great? Or do they come from ordinary stalk and somehow they make the decision that something has to be done. Do they…

Chasing the Clouds Away

May 5, 2009

I’m watching the sun chase the clouds away. It’s as if the weather doesn’t remember how cruel it was a few hours ago. The camera on my smartphone really doesn’t do my picture justice – I’m amazed at how beautiful…

Another Day – Another Miracle

April 30, 2009

Whether you believe in God as I do, or you believe that a series of random unplanned sequence of events (probably trillions of them) in which you have somehow survived and which has lead to your very existence – either…

It’s Still A Stupid Idea

April 26, 2009

Let’s call it what it is, “stupid”.  Mass adoption of a stupid idea does not in anyway alter the intellectual value of that idea.  It’s still stupid. For me when confronted by a populist idea – I remember an anonymous…

Thought Injection and Thought Security

April 21, 2009

Accepting the thoughts of others without validation is foolishness.  The more thoughts that you accept, the more momentum you create in those thoughts and the more vulnerable you become to the influence of others.   Surrendering your thoughts without conscientious…