Going out on a high note: 2016 Jazz Walk will be last event at Boxley’s Restaurant

Published 10:36 am Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Every year, Jazz Walk organizer Danny Kolke does his best to add something to the musical event that turns most of downtown North Bend into a pedestrian zone for one night. Sometimes it’s a new venue, or a new artist, or, a couple of years ago, the new high school jazz band showcase.

This year’s event, starting at 4 p.m. Saturday, April 23, will stick to tradition with 20 venues featuring live music by more than 200 performers, plus a couple of new twists.

Kolke is particularly excited about the newest venue, Compass Outdoor Adventure.

“They’re located upstairs in the big Sunset Garage (on North Bend Way and Bendigo). We’re really glad to have somebody in that building for the Jazz Walk,” he said.

There’s also a new element to the high school showcase, a performance by the Mount Si High School Jazz Choir, in addition to bands from Newport, Mercer Island, Sammamish and, of course, Mount Si.

Newest of all this year is the news that closing time on Saturday will be the end of Kolke’s and his wife, Robyn’s careers as restaurateurs.

“The jazz walk is our last night. We’ll do some kind of event after that, but we’re closing after the jazz walk,” Kolke said.

The restaurant will be closed, possibly only for a short time, while Kolke, a professional musician himself, pursues his work with the Boxley Music Fund, a 501(c)3 nonprofit the couple created about six years ago to sponsor live music events at Boxley’s and beyond.

“All the music that we perform is sponsored by and paid for by the music fund,” Kolke said.

As president of the Boxley Music Fund, also known as Jazz Clubs NW, Kolke plans to expand the already-growing influence of the organization and increase its offerings of shows, workshops and educational events.

“We’re looking at doing the music differently and it’s kind of exciting… not having to manage the restaurant will give us a chance to do more with music,” he said. “A preview of that is what we’re currently doing in Bellingham and Tacoma with our partners.”

Jazz Clubs NW has sister organizations in Bellingham and Tacoma that have launched jazz successful jazz festivals last year, and host live music every weekend in those cities.

Until last year, Boxley’s Restaurant had live music seven nights a week, something unheard of for a town of only about 7,000 people.

Kolke hopes that it can happen again, possibly with whoever takes over the restaurant — the couple is talking with several interested parties — or at another location in the Valley.

“I already think there’s more music happening in Snoqualmie Valley, especially on weekends, than when we started,” he said. Now, he ticks off a list of live music options available monthly, sometimes weekly, which include open mic nights and jam sessions at the Sallal Grange, plus live shows at Twede’s Cafe, and Finaghty’s.

“There’s more music happening, and I think that’s just been an evolution of something that we’ve been a part of. I think we can create more opportunities going forward… especially if I don’t have to mop the floors.”

A final closing party will be scheduled in the coming weeks. For the latest information and updates on live music, visit the non-profit’s website at http://www.jazzclubsnw.org.

In the short term, Kolke is looking forward to this Saturday’s events, which he’s normally too busy to enjoy. This year, he said, he will share a set with Tony Foster at Boxley’s, then direct his Mount Si Jazz Band II at the high school showcase at the North Bend Theater, then get out to see some old friends.

“It’s a celebration, it’s a big deal. It’s kind of a family affair for the musicians,” he said.

As for the closing of Boxley’s, he said, “It’s the end of a chapter. We’ll see how the next chapter goes.”

For tickets and more information on the Jazz Walk, visit http://www.northbendjazzwalk.com.