On 12 July I went up to the Veneto, in northern Italy, to spend my holidays at a jazz workshop in Bassano del Grappa. The days were brutally hot, usually around 37-38°C.

On the first day there was an audition, since they group students by level, and I got to meet some people and the faculty. The next day I found out I was in the advanced theory class with the great bassist Cameron Brown, and in the combo class with Dave Glasser, a wonderful saxophone player. We also had to pick a "special topic": rhythm, yoga, or jazz-rock. I chose rhythm, which put me in the drum class with Jeff Hirshfield.

Jeff is a great guy, and I got to do a lot of free playing in his class. This workshop felt different from the Siena Jazz one I did last summer: it was more about listening, about making music and creating something new. For Jeff, the first and most important rule in music, in jazz, and maybe in life, is to listen. I agree. He also showed us some tricky odd meters and how to feel them, and he did a great job turning the young drummer in my combo into a real jazz drummer.

In the mornings I had saxophone class with Dave Glasser. I like him a lot as a teacher (maybe a little less as a player, but he really is amazing). What I like is that he thinks about music more than about chords. He talked to me about chords too, and here is the funny part: I know almost nothing about chords. I know how a dominant chord is built, tritone substitutions, all of that, but in general I do not know the chords of the tune I am playing. Or rather, I know the sound. I think sound and rhythm are the most important things to develop. I hear sounds as musical ideas, and then I think about how to react to those ideas through rhythm. Dave also told me to develop a huge, loud sound, because apparently I come across as a bit of a classical saxophone player. Which is funny: at the conservatory I never felt very classical, and now, on a jazz course, I am the classical one. So that is exactly what I worked on in my gigs around Bassano.

And yes, I had gigs. I played with all kinds of people: strange, curious, talented. My first gig in Bassano was with a Greek guitarist living in Switzerland and a Danish bass player. I was a little envious when my Danish friends told me that everything is free in their country: school is free, university is free. The only downside is the weather, since Danish summers top out around 20°C. Then I played with Italian musicians too, and always had a great time.

In the afternoons I had theory with Cameron Brown. We listened to a lot of Miles Davis, especially the 1955 to 1965 years, analyzing "Milestones," "All Blues," "Kind of Blue" and more. I realized how some great records would be completely different records depending on who was playing. "Kind of Blue" without Bill Evans: what would that even be?

Later in the afternoon came the combo class. I met a lot of great players, and we had a blast at the workshop's closing concert.

The most talented people on the course, I think, were Erik and Stefano. Erik is a great pianist: there is something classical in his solos, though I think he needs to find a good teacher (he would often stretch to five or six choruses, but he is a good guy). Stefano is a great guy and a bass clarinet player, and I loved playing with him in the combo and in the jam sessions. The best part: I will see him again in Manhattan, because he won the same scholarship I did to attend the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music next year. That is incredible. I am going to New York, the jazz capital of the world.

For now I am home, in my room, and I want to study hard to get ready for the school. And I also want to enjoy these months of sun and sea with my girlfriend.