When not busking in Amsterdam's famous Leidseplein Square or playing in various local pubs, Robin tours internationally - check the list below to see when he will be performing in a town near you!

 

 

 

DATE	VENUE	LOCATION
Dec. 30, 2007	Duende Dos 10 pm	Amsterdam, NL
Dec. 9, 2007	Duende Dos 10 pm	Amsterdam, NL
Nov. 17, 2007	Theatre Het Perron 8 pm	Amsterdam, NL
Nov. 8, 2007	Jazz Cafe Alto 10 pm	Amsterdam, NL
Nov. 4, 2007	Duende Dos 10 pm	Amsterdam, NL
Oct. 19, 2007	Woodcote Village Hall (w/ Ian Cruickshank) 8 pm	Woodcote (near Reading) GB
Oct. 14, 2007	Jazz Club  8 pm	Bad Waldsee, DE
Oct. 13, 2007	Odeon - 8 pm www.hotclubnews.de	Augsburg, DE
Oct. 12, 2007	Frankfurt Book Fair (private)	Frankfurt, DE
Sept. 30, 2007	Duende Dos 9 pm	Amsterdam, NL
Sept. 19-23, 2007	Djangofest Northwest	Whidbey Island Center for Arts, Langley WA
Sept. 16, 2007	51st Mill Valley Arts Festival 4:30 pm	Old Mill Park Mill Valley, CA 415-381-8090
Sept. 15, 2007	Nevada City Odd Fellows Hall w/ Junkyard Gypsies 8:00 pm	212 Spring St, Nevada City, CA 95959 (530) 477-0929
Sept. 14, 2007	The Throckmorton Theatre 8:00 PM - with Fishtank Ensemble Tix: 415 383-9600 or Ticketweb.com	142 Throckmorton Ave, Mill Valley CA 94941
Aug. 15, 2007	Wrexham Jazz Guitar Night	U.K.
Aug. 3 , 2007	German Djangofest	Germany
July 28, 2007	Denmark Djangofestival	Denmark
July 26, 2007	Bimhuis (Jimmy Rosenberg DVD realease concert)	Amsterdam, Netherlands
July 15, 2007	Blissfest	Petoskey, MI
July 14, 2007	Rail House	Menonominee, WI
July 2, 2007	Festival International de Jazz de Montréal	Montréal, Quebec, Canada
June 29-30, 2007	TD Canada Trust Toronto Jazz Fest	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
June 25-28, 2007	SaskTel Saskatchewan Jazz Fest	Saskatchewan, Canada
June 24, 2007	TD Canada Trust Vancouver International Jazz Fest	Vancouver, BC, Canada
June 22-23, 2007	Victoria Jazzfest International	Victoria, BC, Canada
June 16, 2007	Chocolate Church	798 Washington St. Bath, ME
June 15, 2007	Mill Pond Center for the Arts	Durham, New Hampshire
June 14, 2007 - 7 PM	deLightningPluck! RNT w/ Ameranouche    $25/15 advance, $28/18 door	Wellesley Congregational Church, 2 Central St, Wellesley, MA
June 12, 2007	Don Quixotes	Felton CA
June 9, 2007	Gypsy Jazz Guitar Night! Odd Fellows Hall	212 Spring St. Nevada City
June 8, 2007	Mission City Coffee Roasting Company www.fiddlingcricket.com	2221 The Alameda, Santa Clara
June 6, 2007	Amnesia - 8:00 pm	San Francisco, USA
Nov. 8-11, 2006	Cafe Rosenberg	Reykjavik, Iceland
Nov. 5, 2006	Gypsy Festival (w/ the Basily Family)	Rijswijk, Holland
Oct 18, 2006	Amnesia	San Francisco, USA
Sept. 1, 2006	Copenhagen, Denmark (w/ Walter Clerici)	Copenhagen, Denmark
Mar. 16, 2006	The Elephant Room - 8:45 PM	315 Congress Ave, Austin, Texas
Mar. 16, 2006	South by Southwest (with Brandi Shearer)	Austin, Texas
Feb. 1-2, 2006	Bimbos 365 Club - 8:00 PM	1025 Columbus Ave, San Francisco CA
Jan. 29, 2006	The Rio Theatre - 8:00 PM	1205 Soquel Ave, Santa Cruz CA
Jan. 27, 2006	The Throckmorton Theatre 8:00 PM	142 Throckmorton Ave, Mill Valley CA
Jan. 26, 2006	The Mystic Theatre - 8:00 PM	23 Petaluma Ave. No, Petaluma CA
Jan. 20-21, 2006	The Music Box - 8:00 PM	6126 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood CA
Nov. 26, 2005	KaamosJazz Festival - "Music Under Northern Lights" (performing as "Hot Club de Finlande") Tankavaara, Gold Village - 22.00 Tunturihotelli Lutto, Saariselkä - 23.00	Lappland, Finland
Nov. 25, 2005	Annivers, concert, Saariselkä - 16.00 Tankavaara, Gold Village - 22.00 Saariselkä, Guksi-club - 24.00	Lappland, Finland
Nov. 12, 2005	Cafe Rosenberg	Reykjavik, Iceland
Nov. 11, 2005	Cafe Rosenberg	Reykjavik, Iceland
Nov. 10, 2005	Cafe Rosenberg	Reykjavik, Iceland
Oct. 31, 2005	The Blue Haven, Kinsale - 4:00 PM (w/ Ian Date)	County Cork, Ireland
Oct. 30, 2005	The Blue Haven, Kinsale - 4:00 PM The Moonduster, Crosshaven - 7:00 PM The Long Valley, Cork - 10:30 PM (w/ Ian Date)	County Cork, Ireland
Oct. 29, 2005	Farmer's Market, Midleton - 10:00 AM The Blue Haven, Kinsale - 4:00 PM Acton's Hotel, Kinsale - 7:30 PM The Long Valley, Cork - 10:30 PM (w/ Ian Date)	County Cork, Ireland
Oct. 27, 2005	Mahon Point, 11:00 AM The Long Valley, Cork - 9:30 PM (w/ Ian Date)	County Cork, Ireland
Oct. 9, 2005	Djangofest Chicago	Chicago, IL, USA
Oct. 8, 2005	Leg's Inn, 9:00 pm	Cross Village, MI
Oct. 7, 2005	The Rail House, 8:00 pm	Marinette, WI
Sept. 27-Oct. 2, 2005	Djangofest Northwest (w/ Brandi Shearer)	Whidbey Island Center for Arts, Langley WA
Sept. 27, 2005	Enrico's - Gypsy Djam, 7-11 pm (w/ Brandi Shearer)	504 Broadway, San Francisco CA
Sept. 24, 2005	Amoeba Music - In store performance, 3-5 pm (w/ Brandi Shearer)	855 Haight St, San Francisco CA
Sept. 22, 2005	Savanna Jazz - Django Night, 8:00 pm (w/ Brandi Shearer)	2937 Mission Street, San Francisco
Sept. 17 & 18, 2005	Austin Django Festival - Workshops	Austin, TX, USA
Sept. 16-18, 2005	Austin Django Festival - Cactus Café	Austin, TX, USA
June 26, 2005	California Vintage Guitar & Amp Workshop, 2:00-4:00 pm	5244 Van Nuys Blvd, Sherman Oaks, CA
June 24, 2005	Acoustic Music San Diego 7:30-10:00 pm	4650 Mansfield St, San Diego, CA
June 22, 2005	Monroe's Bar 8:00-11:00 pm	8623 Melrose Ave, Hollywood, CA
June 21, 2005	Spazio Restaurant & Jazz Club John Pisano's Guitar Night, 8:00-11:00 pm	14755 Ventura Blvd, Sherman Oaks, CA
June 19, 2005	Amoeba Music Instore Perfomance, 2:00-4:00 pm	6400 Sunset Blvd, Hollywood, CA
June 14 & 16, 2005	Coffee Gallery Backstage 8:00 pm	2029 N. Lake Ave, Altadena, CA
June 12, 2005	DjangoFest San Francisco Workshop, 12:00-2:00 pm Performance, 8:00 pm	Little Fox, Redwood City, CA
June 11, 2005	DjangoFest San Francisco Performance, 3:00 pm	Little Fox, Redwood City, CA
June 10, 2005	DjangoFest San Francisco Workshop, 4:00-6:00 pm	Little Fox, Redwood City, CA
June 9, 2005 - 4-6 pm	Amoeba Music Perfomance & Recording Session	6400 Sunset Blvd, Hollywood, CA
June 8, 2005	Enrico's - DFSF Gypsy Jam Night	Redwood City, CA
June 6, 2005 - 8:00-11:30 pm	Cooper Saloon (with Howard Alden)	235 Commercial St, Nevada City, CA
June 5, 2005 - 8:00-11:00 pm	Iron Door Saloon (with Howard Alden)	18761 Main Street, Groveland, CA
June 2-3, 2005 - 8:00-11:00 pm	Monterey Live (with Howard Alden)	401 Pearl, Monterey CA
June 1, 2005 - 8:00-11:00 pm	Don Quixote’s (with Howard Alden)	6275 Highway 9, Felton, CA
March 26, 2005	Gainesville Jazz Festival	Savannah Grand, Gainesville, FL
March 25, 2005	Heidi's Jazz Club	7 N. Orlando Ave, Cocoa Beach, FL
March 21, 2005	Leonardo's	706 West University Ave, Gainesville, FL
March 18, 2005	Clinic & Performance	Sante Fe Community College, FL
March 14, 2005	Leonardo's	706 West University Ave, Gainesville, FL
March 13, 2005	Cafe Montmartre	127 East Mifflin St, Madison, WI
March 12, 2005	Cafe Montmartre	127 East Mifflin St, Madison, WI
March 11, 2005	Clark Place	1009 Clark St, Stevens Point, WI
March 6, 2005	The Coffee Gallery Backstage (626) 398-7917	2029 N. Lake, Altadena, CA
March 4, 2005	AcousticMusicSanDiego.com (619) 303-8176	4650 Mansfield Street, San Diego, CA
Feb. 26-27, 2005	DjangoFest Los Angeles	Laguna Beach, CA
Feb. 02, 2005	Cafe Rosenberg	Reykjavik, Iceland
Feb. 01, 2005	Cafe Rosenberg - w/ Daniel Lapp	Reykjavik, Iceland
Feb. 01, 2005	Workshop (Cafe Rosenberg - 1:00 PM)	Reykjavik, Iceland
Jan. 30, 2005	Vestmannaeyjar (where they had the volcano in '76!) - w/ Daniel Lapp	Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland
Jan. 29, 2005	Cafe Rosenberg - w/ Daniel Lapp	Reykjavik, Iceland
Jan. 28, 2005	Akureyri - w/ Daniel Lapp	Akureyri, Iceland
Jan. 27, 2005	Isafjordur - w/ Daniel Lapp	Isafjordur, Iceland
Jan. 5, 2005	Jam Session Sabadell	Barcelona, Spain
Dec. 28, 29, 30, 2004	Limon Negro	Barcelona, Spain
Dec. 22, 2004	Little Italy	Barcelona, Spain
Oct. 17-18, 2004	Le Quecumbar	London, England
Oct. 9, 2004	Argon-Lounge	Augsburg,Germany
Oct. 1-3, 2004	DjangoFest Northwest	Langley WA, USA
Sept. 1-13, 2004	Sapporo and Osaka, Japan	Sapporo and Osaka, Japan
Aug, 2004	Busker's Festival	Ferrara, Italy
Aug, 2004	Cafe Rosenberg - w/ Daniel Lapp	Reykjavik, Iceland
July 8, 2004	Montreal Jazz Festival, Carrefour/Stage General Motors	Montreal, Quebec, Canada
July 2, 2004	Laclu (outside Kenora), Ontario, Canada	Laclu (outside Kenora), Ontario, Canada
June 28, 2004	Bushwakker Brewpub	Regina, Saskatoon, Canada
June 27, 2004	Chapel Gallery	North Battleford, Saskatoon, Canada
June 26, 2004	Saskatoon Jazz Festival (Supporting Jesse Cook)	Saskatoon, Canada
June 24-25, 2004	Winnipeg Jazz Festival - Pockets Bar & Grill, Main Floor	Winnipeg, Canada
June 20, 2004	Acoustic Guitar Network	Northampton, MA, USA
June 18, 2004	Chocolate Church Arts Centre	Bath, ME, USA
June 14, 2004	Alberta Street Public House	Portland, OR, USA
June 11-13, 2004	DjangoFest San Francisco	Redwood City, USA
June 8-9, 2004	Jazz Alley	Seattle, USA
Feb. 14, 2004	Le Quecumbar	London, England
Feb. 14, 2004 - 1-4 PM	Le Quecumbar Guitar Workshop	London, England
Feb. 13, 2004	Le Quecumbar	London, England
Feb. 11, 2004	Beaufort Hotel	Ormskirk, England
Feb. 10, 2004	Guitar Workshop (evening)	Ormskirk, England
Feb. 7, 2004	Kettlehuis	Akureyri, Iceland
Feb. 6, 2004	Cafe Rosenberg	Reykjavik, Iceland
Feb. 5, 2004	Cafe Rosenberg	Reykjavik, Iceland
Jan. 3, 5/2004 - 10.30 PM	Harlem Jazz Club Tel: 93 726 1030	C/Comtessa De Sobradiel 8, BARCELONA, Spain
Dec. 29, 2003 - 10.30 PM	Harlem Jazz Club Tel: 93 726 1030	C/Comtessa De Sobradiel 8, BARCELONA, Spain
Dec. 28, 2003 - 9 PM	Sala Mozart	C/Esglesia 91, CALELLA, Spain
Dec. 27, 2003 - 10.30 PM	Harlem Jazz Club Tel: 93 726 1030	C/Comtessa De Sobradiel 8, BARCELONA, Spain
Dec. 26, 2003	Jam Session Sabadell Tel: 93 726 1030	Raval De Dins 12, SABADELL, Spain
Dec. 23, 2003 - 10.30 PM	Harlem Jazz Club Tel: 93 726 1030	C/Comtessa De Sobradiel 8, BARCELONA, Spain
Nov. 29, 2003	Music Academy- Duo guitar concert with Tcha Limberger	Kortrijk, Belgium
Oct. 11, 2003	Augsburg, Germany	Augsburg, Germany
Oct. 2-5, 2003	DjangoFest Northwest	Langley WA, USA
July, 2003	Lincoln Center	New York City, NY, USA
June 27, 2003	24th Annual Django Reinhardt Festival	Samois-sur-Seine, France
May, 2003	11th Annual Django Memorial Concert	Augsburg, Germany

Camp Nolan  - Sept. 19-21, DjangoFest Northwest
Join the Robin Nolan Trio for a three-day immersion into Gypsy Jazz techniques as taught by the master, Robin Nolan.  Drawing on their experience of doing hundreds of workshops around the world for the last ten years, Robin, Kevin and Simon will break it down and make it accessible to all.  No matter what your level you will benefit from these sessions and come away playing actual songs, learning the way the Gypsies do, by showing and doing, no complicated ‘technique’ or theory needed. 

Absolute Beginners - Wed. Sept. 19, 12-4:00pm 
The first day will be especially geared for players new to the style.  Emphasis will be placed on the chord structures, basic rhythms, intros, outros, heads and the other necessary elements to start playing songs.  All levels are welcome and the class will be tailored to meet everyone’s needs.  This is an opportunity for any player to check their fundamentals and make sure their basics are in order. 

Beginning Intermediate - Thurs. Sept. 20, 12-4:00pm

The next day will focus on the basics of improvisation, taught the way Robin has made famous in his ‘Licks’ series, by learning actual interchangeable licks that will enable the player to start ‘soloing’ immediately.  Those who want to stick with the rhythm are encouraged to do so as Kevin will be there to assist those who want to refine and perfect their ‘pompe’. 

Intermediate Advanced - Fri. Sept. 21, 10-12 pm
The final session will be the chance for the players who have a few tricks down to learn a few more and get warmed up for the weekend Djam sessions ahead.  Latin Rhythms, rhythm accents, tricky breaks and endings will be some of the areas covered.  And of course, the players from the previous sessions will have an opportunity to demonstrate what they’ve learned. 

Take them all or take the one that most appeals to you.  Here is a unique opportunity to get warmed up before the weekend starts and spend some time playing and hanging out with some of the stars of the genre.  Robin literally wrote the book(s) on this style (The Gypsy Jazz Songbook and Play Along CD volumes 1-6 and Licks vol 1) and Kevin and Simon are considered among the best.  As always, Robin’s workshops are guaranteed to improve your playing or your money back.  Robin, Kevin and Simon will also be available for private lessons or sessions on these days. 

USA TOUR - Fall 2003

Monday 15th September - Chicago, Illinois

Arrived at Chicago's O'Hare airport after a pretty long 9 hour flight from Amsterdam with John Friedrichs and Simon Planting who are making up my trio for this Stateside tour.
We took a taxi to John's house who is the rhythm guitarist with Swing Gitan, Chicago's most prominent Gypsy Jazz band.
It always feels weird after a long flight and the jet lag makes you feel totally strange but Alfonso Ponticelli and his gang made us feel most welcome, and we had a really nice time hangin' out as late as we could before going down hard. We jammed and the guys whipped up a great BBQ with Polish sausages and local corn being on the menu.... we particularly liked the delicious corn on the cobs which tasted so fresh and good.
My great buddy Henri Falconi had also arrived from N.Y. and was set to be our camera man and driver for this mid-western leg of the tour.

Tuesday 16th September

Had lunch at a great Mexican joint 'Mi Lindo Pueblo' and it was so nice to be eating authentic Mexican food again in a real Mexican joint where even the waitress asked us if we could speak Spanish!
That afternoon we sound checked for our gig that evening which would feature a double-bill consisting of Alfonso's band 'Swing Gitan' and my trio.
Afterwards another restaurant! This time a great Italian place where we all had a wonderful meal which definitely set us up for a great night!
'Swing Gitan' opened and had a great response from the healthy crowd which had gathered at 'Martrys' which is a really cool venue with lots of space and a listening audience. Meanwhile we were definitely still jet lagged and hung upstairs in the green room to catch up on some sleep.... Simon borrowed my Ozzy t-Shirt for the gig and he definitely looked like he was in a coffin lying there on the couch!
The gig went well and it was a buzz to play at last and we got a standing ovation and came back and did the 'Summertime' samba special with the tune down jam at the end. It was great to actually play in Chicago for the 1st time and the audience made us feel most welcome.
We finished the night with all of us on stage together for a jam and the crowd ate it up...video cameras and digital cameras flashing away to the crazy rhythm!
Later on Alfonso took us out to the 'Green Door' one of Chicago's hippest jazz clubs and I was fascinated with the district where it was situated with lots of old derelict and desolate theatres really conjuring up a ghostly feel of glamorous nights in old Chicago gone by. We walked in to be cooled down by a superb guitarist, Mr. Brown and Co. who were playing some cool groove tunes which reminded me of the power of the Blues, groove and simplicity. The club was as it had been when first built and I would love to return one night.
Alfonso drove me home via some Korean take-out food which was actually real disappointing! However I had met a true character and friend in Alfonso who is just like some movie character tearing around his film-set.... Chicago!!

Wednesday 17th September - Minominee, Michegan

So today we had a road trip ahead of us and I was surprised when Henri arrived back from the rental car place with big powerful sporty Pontiac!! Wow!! I'd never thought that we'd be cruising on tour in such a car.... this was going to be some fun.
Couldn't resist it and had yet another Mexican fix at Mi Lido Pueblo so we were set up and ready to go.
Our destination was Minominee, a small town situated on the north shores of lake Michigan and home to my good friends Mike Kettu his wife Chris and Bruce and Maria Braggonier. It took us about 5 hours and we kept ourselves amused by listening to various Country music stations cracking up in hysterics at the unbelievable lyrics.... like "It's OK to be a red-neck, keep sippin' on your Bud" or "If God had a front porch.... he'd be crackin' a beer or two..."
We arrived around 6pm and the guys were blown away with Mike Kettu's place.... Situated in the middle of some forests it really is a piece of paradise.... so far from anywhere. Mike and his wife welcomed us into their cozy little cottage and it really did feel like coming home.
We all went for a walk and we ended up spotting a Black Bear, a Hawk and perhaps a river Otter.... (I didn't see it).
We were treated to some delicious B.B.Q. and fine wine so needless to say we had a wonderful sleep (Henri and I in the old Chicken Shack!)

Thursday 18th September

Woke to a glorious day and had coffee in the wonderful Gazebo amazed at where we found ourselves, right in the middle of nature.
We didn't have to play tonight so we just 'hung' and took a trip into town and generally relaxed.
Henri made killer spicy Lentils for dinner again washed down with superb red wine. I must add that Mike and Chris certainly enjoy the good things in life to the max.... we were in good hands!!

Friday 19th September

I shot some pool with Henri in the games room today and I must say he had the 'run of the balls' so I was frustrated and looked forward to what I do best.... play the guitar!
The gig is run by the Wild Rice Concerts organisation and it is definitely one of my favourite stops during the touring year. We performed in Bruce and Maria's splendid mansion situated right on the lake to an enthusiastic audience of local people where the atmosphere is really special and unique. We had a great gig and met a lot of new fans who really appreciated us coming out to perform for them. It really is a mutually gratifying gig and everyone had a great time.

Saturday 20th September

The big event of the day was the launching of a new ferry which was destined for the Staten Island crossing in New York. Crowds gathered in expectation of the launch and of New York city Mayor Bloomberg who was to ingratiate himself upon the proceedings. I was waiting on a smelly mud bank with dead fish and in fact missed the photo op. As the boat without warning slid and splashed into the water, and as i fumbled with my digital camera, the crowds were already dispersing, all probably mumbling under their breathes what a waste of time it had all been!
The concert that night was just as great and we all played well.... I introduced the 'Wild Rice Blues' song back into the repertoire with hilarity in ecclesia! To encourage the audience to really give it a good yeeeehaaaa!!! I promised a free 'Live in Samois' CD for the loudest 'Yeehaaa' and that's where the fun began! There were some almighty stentorian cries from the animated folk and I really had a hard job deciding the winner.... Luckily I spotted a young 9 year old girl who I had noticed during the set and I walked over and raised her hand.... the winner had been found!
Later after the gig Mike had prepared a bon-fire back at his place which provided the focal point for a great party.

Sunday 21st September - Madison, Wisconsin

Everyone was slightly blurry eyed in the morning to say the least but the show had to go on. Today was another road trip, this time down to Madison WI to play the 1st DjangoFest Mid-West. It's always hard to leave our friends after sharing so much together but the promise of a return trip certainly makes it easier.
I caught a ride with Bruce Bragonnier and the boys rode in the Pontiac with the Falcon at the wheel. It was real nice chatting with Bruce for the 3 hour trip and we discussed many things from guitars and music to health care systems and married life! Bruce is a special person who certainly gives a lot to this world.
The venue for the festival is a barn situated in the middle of Madison's famous corn-fields where a regular concert series 'Art in the Barn' is held. The line up included Alfonso's 'Swing Gitan' and the 'Harmonious Wail', Sims and Maggie's band from Madison. There are some horse stables situated close by where our green room was so I took the opportunity to say hello to the horses and they made me most welcome!
It was a buzz to see the Fonz (Alfonso) and his crew again and by this time we were all old friends.
The gig was wild with all the audience sitting on straw bails and needless to say the 'Yeeeehaaaaa!' song went down a treat with another lucky winner of the CD! The concert was recorded and may come out on CD so stay tuned to Sims' website.
Afterwards we all went down to a great Mexican restaurant in Madison and had a fantastic feast and a great time. Again it was time for a goodbye to Bruce who had to drive back home to Minonmonee.... so until next time my friend!
We all went back a Sims and Maggies' house and we had a night cap before bed.

Monday 22nd September

Today was a shopping day down in Madison which has a really cute downtown all situated around the Capital Hill. Simon and John both bought some Converse All Stars and we just wandered up and down the High Street and checked out the wonderful University campus. I gave a lesson to a young guitarist later on who had a Delle 'Arte Jimmy Rosenberg guitar and then it was time for yet another delicious B.B.Q. I must add that Sims really is a master of the B.B.Q. so I knew we were in for a treat.
Of course we needed refreshments for such a feast and Sims took us to a huge supermarket which sold everything under the sun in abundance.... including beer. That's where the tempers started flaring as the R.N.T. and Henri argued over the choices. Simon and John had certainly had enough of the American beers and were in search of something more familiar.... namely Heineken! Henri was appalled that they could ignore the range of local Micro-Breweries in favour of a nasty mass produced product such as Heineken.
We went our separate ways and individually selected what we wanted for the evening (I went for the Japanese beer 'Sapporo').
There was only one way to find out who was right and that was a beer-tasting test. Each beer was presented in a wooden cup and each contestant had to determine which beer was in which cup and also highlight their favourite.... I won't bore you with the results but check out the photos!

Tuesday 23rd September

The guys had decided to head down to Chicago to check out the down town scene but I wanted to spend another day with my good friends Sims and Maggie. I gave a guitar lesson to their son Henry and it was good fun.... it's nice to teach young minds and he picked up a lot. Then a lesson to Tom who plays guitar in Harmonious Wail who had recently acquired a Robert Aylward guitar and we had some fun. It's a conducive household to teach and play music in and I love the sound of Maggie giving her singing lessons.... really comforting and soothing.
That night we went to check out my friend Bob Westafall's band who do the Grisman thing which I really enjoy. I got to play a couple of numbers with them and so did Sims and I really enjoyed the good company and good music.

Wednesday 24th September - Bolder, Colorado

Again another good-bye and I had tears in my eyes as I boarded the trusty Van Gaalen bus, destination Chicago's O-Hare airport. I met Simon and John at the check-in counter and we went to catch our flight to Denver.
Flying into Denver you really noticed the huge change in terrain and landscape and the thing that strikes you most as you peer out of your little window is how dry and parched everything is. It's a special place where the great plains of America meet the awesome Rocky Mountains.
My good friend Professor Jerry Rudy greeted us at arrivals and drove us back to his place which is situated in the foothills of the Rockies just outside Boulder. He gave us a whole house to stay in and it really was an amazing place with views out onto the plains and in the distance the skyline of Denver.
Before we new it there were guitarists and mandolin players arriving and after a great meal (guess what.... B.B.Q.!!) had a jam session with Jerry who has recently started playing Django style guitar and his friends. We were real tired and hit the hay well before mid-night.

Thursday 25th September

I awoke at dawn to an incredible red sky and just lay there taking in the spectacular sunrise. Boulder rarely has rain and the altitude is 1 mile above sea level making the air thinner and also very dry with zero humidity. After breakfast Jerry took us down to his faculty at the University of Boulder where he is a Professor of Psychology. He is a real guitar fan and it was great to see his office decorated with so many pictures of guitars and Django. The campus is really beautiful and I really couldn't imagine a better location to study.
The Buffalo is the University symbol and it sadly reminded me of the fact that the Buffalo used to graze these pastures in abundance, but along with the Native people of this land had been eradicated in the name of progress.
Later on Jerry introduced us to a friend of his, Barrone, who after a great Louisiana style lunch in a House of Blues took us for a short tour up in the Rockies. I really wanted to see the hotel in Ester Park where the film starring Jack Nicholson 'The Shining' had been shot. It really is a spectacular hotel with incredible views and I somehow didn't feel as scared as I had been when watching the movie!!
This part of the world is truly beautiful and I feel so privileged to get to have experiences like these.
Jerry's neighbour Dan had invited us up to his place for dinner and we arrived just as the sun was setting and I managed to take a couple of pics. His wife had prepared a curried salmon dish which was out of this world.... yum! I can still taste it!
Of course a jam followed dinner and Dan impressed me with his nice mandolin playing. I was getting a taste for the Grisman sound and he generously gave me two of Grisman's CDs to check out.
It's funny how after the day being so hot you need to wrap up at night as a chill descends upon the foothils of the great Rocky Mountains.

28, 29, 30th September - Austin, Texas

Arriving in lush Austin is always an amazing feeling and after the desert of Colorado it was great to see an abundance of green and a healthy flowing river.
Larry my good friend picked us up from the airport and took us straight to the gig where we were to play that night. I had played the Continental Club the year before so knew what was in store. It's been a music venue since the 50's and has the feel and vibe of a million Honky Tonks gone by.
The gig was fine and we met Luke Hill who has a Gypsy Jazz band in town. Later on in the same club we were blown away with a guitarist named 'Redd Volkert' who is a telecaster picker and was the best thing I'd seen in a long time. It was one of the best nights of my life soaking up the music in the Austin atmosphere (and a few Coronas!).
We gave a workshop the next day and had a lot of fun with the guitarists who came along. Also jammed with Luke Hill and a great young guitarist from Buenos Aires, Gonzales, who totally blew us away with his mastery of the 'Rosenberg' style!
We went out on the town to 6th Street with our fantastic hosts Larry and Robin who took us around a few of the amazing live music clubs, where there are great players playing every night of the week.... what a scene!
The Austin experience wouldn't have been the same without picking up a pair of 'boots' so we all chose a pair and I must say I've hardly taken them off since!

Wednesday 1st October - Seattle, Washington

Simon Planting had left back to Amsterdam from Austin and John and I had continued on to the last part of our American adventure flying up to Seattle.
We were greeted at the airport by my good friend Doug McKenna whom we had actually first met in Iceland a couple of years ago when he attended our Icelandic workshop. We also met back up with the Falcon who had just flown in from New York.
As Simon had gone I had invited Ari Munk up from San Francisco who plays bass with Paul Mehling's band H.C.S.F. and we met back at Doug's place where we rehearsed and enjoyed yet another delicious BBQ. We were also joined by Neil Andersson from the group 'Pearl Django' who is a good friend and fine guitar player.

Thursday 2nd October

After a hearty breakfast we all drove (I with Neil) to catch the ferry to Whidbey Island for DjangoFest Northwest meeting a few festival goers on the ferry. The festival itself is held in Langley and is a 20 minute drive once you land on Whidbey Island (a 15 minute ferry ride).
We were scheduled to play the Friday night, Sat night and Sunday afternoon as well as 3 workshops so we had the night off to enjoy the start of the festival.

Friday 3rd October

Today I gave a 'Licks' workshop at the Country Cottages (the best places to stay for the fest) and it was a challenge with so many guitarists (22) packed into a little room, but after a while we were all learning the new licks and having fun. I really enjoy these workshops and it's a nice opportunity to meet everyone.
That afternoon I met with Alain Cola from Delle 'Arte instruments and he gave me a choice of 2 brand new D.A. 'Robin Nolan' signature models to choose from. They were both beautiful so hard to pick!
Later we played our very 1st concert with Ari and I really really enjoyed it feeling quite proud of the trio.
As is customary at this festival (which is actually organised by an old friend of mine Nick Lehr) everyone heads down to the 'Dog House' for some serious jammin' and serious drinkin' after the official bands have finished. Needless to say a late night was had and many new friends made!

Saturday 4th October
At noon I gave my 2nd workshop which again was a lot of fun and it was nice as my good friend Ira sat in on the proceedings.
That afternoon was spent wandering around the beautiful little village bumping into characters like Patrick Saussois, Archtop Eddy, Pat C, Angelo Debarre, Ted G, etc etc and it really was a wonderful day.
There was something special in the feel of Saturday night and before we played I new it would be fantastic.... after the 1st note we played we all grinned at one another and just let the music flow! We were joined on fiddle by the young and talented Michael Fraser for a number and he brought the house down. We finished with our samba rendition of 'Summertime' which turned into a great jam at the end and wrapped up one of the most enjoyable sets I'd ever done.
It was really fantastic that Angelo Debarre was present at the festival and to listen to him conjure his sublime magic on the guitar was pure bliss.... what a player!
Well it was another Dog House mission and it seems impossible to have too much fun!

Sunday 5th October

I forgot to add that Alfonz and his crew from Chicago were representing for the festival and needless to say they had a lot of deserved success and we had some truly great times together.... go Alfonso! Also to see Patrick Saussois play with Pearl Django was a highlight especially as my friend Dudley Hill was also representing.... nice one Dudley!
I taught my final workshop then straight over to play our last performance at the matinee. It was impossible to recreate the magic of the last night but we sailed through a great set with John rippin' it up on the rhythm!
What a great festival it is and I think it will just get better and better. Hats off to you Nick for doing such a great job. Also to W.I.C.A. for hosting and making everything run so smoothly.... c.u. next year!

Monday 6th October

We had our last night of the tour free in Seattle where we had amazing Thai food and went down to Michael H's Monday Night jam session. It was a great way to finish a tour and play and relax with friends. Ed Cotton was also there as were many festival goers and we had a great time.

Tuesday 7th October

4.30am wake up call and the beginning of a grueling journey back to Amsterdam for John and I. We flew from Seattle to Washington D.C. then on to Amsterdam, arriving back home 18 hours later.

Till the next time!
-Robin

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photo by Larry Pollock