Thursday september 18
12:00 - Geneva airport
The weather is sunny and warm. I meet Patrick Aberle, swiss representative for Stick Enterprises who brings me a Stick to lend to a newbie and various strings sets. After a beautiful flight from Montpellier over the Alps, André Pelat meets us and we have lunch together. Jim Lampi's EasyJet lands at 13:00. When we get our coffes, there are mini black chocolate bars on the plate, wrapped up in a black foil which says "Le Stick Noir". Now that's a coincidence!
We pack everything in the trunk of my car and off we go to Neuchâtel.
15:00 - Neuchâtel, Hotel des Arts
Virna Splendore has arrived by car from Milano. We visit the school where the lessons will be given .
The "Blue Breath 74" Music School
Then we gather at my home where Françoise (my wife) has fixed a splendid meal. Ron Baggerman arrives from Holland at 20:00 and we spend the evening defining the classes according to the informations the students gave us when they registered on the SwissStick03 website. The StickMasters read the big article about the seminar published on wednesday in the local newspaper.
Friday september 19
06:00
I wake up and go to the office to print all the group lists and programs for students and teachers.
09:00 - Neuchâtel, Music School
I check all the rooms, switch on amps and PA's. We don't have a lot of individual lessons planned today: basically 3 in the morning and 3 in the afternoon.
10:00
Stickists arrive one after the other and a lot of them claim they registered for an individual lesson even if I have nothing on my records. Uh Oh... But every problem has it's solution. We reorganize everything on the spot and end up with 15 (fifteen) individual lessons from 11.00 to 17:00 with a lunch break at 12:00. That's an average of 4 lessons per StickMaster. But our instructors are in control and the lessons are a thrill for everyone.
17:00
Jim Lampi, André Pelat and "votre serviteur" head for Lausanne where Jim and André will play live on swiss national radio from 19:30 to 20:00. In the meantime, my daughter Amandine shows directions to Ron and Virna who will be soundchecking and practicing with the drummer Steve Grant in the Club Petit Paris in La Chaux-de-Fonds (15 miles away from Neuchâtel) during our trip back from the radio studio.
The radio program runs swell with Jim and André explaining how they discovered the Stick and demonstrating it with some impressive live playing.
We then zoom back to Neuchâtel and from there to La Chaux-de-Fonds
21:30
When we arrive at the Club Petit Paris, Ron and Virna have finished rehearsing. The sound is very good, thanks to an expert David Grillon who really understands what the stick sound is all about. Jim and André rehearse with Steve Grant and at midnight we go back to Neuchâtel to get some sleep.
Saturday september 20
Lunch
09:00
The collective lessons begin, with a coffee break at 10:00, more lessons and an excellent lunch at noon on the school's sunny terrace. Cheese, vegetable and onion pies, quiche lorraine, various salads and cheeses, deserts like Tiramisu, chocolate mousse and other french specialties home cooked by Françoise put everyone in a good mood.
Did you taste the vegetable pie? Don't forget the chocolate mousse!
14:00
More lessons until 17:00.
Then informal jamming, information sharing and other setup sessions "Do you use light or medium gauge?" "What's your favorite pickup?" "Has anybody got a screwdriver?" "Can I try out your graphite Stick?"
18:00
The StickBus takes everyone to La Chaux-de-Fonds, watch capital of the world.
We stop at 3000 feet to watch the Alps in the Haze, then reach the Restaurant and Club Petit Paris.
19:00
We have one more excellent meal (tuna stuffed tomato on a bed of green lettuce, roasted duck filet with pasta and vegetables, delicious "chaud-froid" dessert - this is turning into a gastronomy seminar)
Sunday september 21
Collective lessons until noon, then some exquisite Pakistani food over by Zahid Khan.
Stickists fill the "Lampi Room" in the attic of the school.
Stickists begin to leave, we exchange adresses. Thomas Simon calls me on my mobile phone. After driving half an hour, he realized that he forgot his Stick in the school. He turns back (who wouldn't) and at six, he leaves the school again, now fully equipped.
Monday september 22
Monday september 22
Before leaving, we go to the recording studio to listen to the StickNight tapes. The recording is beautiful. Everyone is thrilled to have such a good testimonial of an unique evening. We take care of the financial aspects of the seminar and say goodbye to Virna and Ron who travel by car. Then Jim, André and I drive to Geneva Airport, not without a good fish lunch in a little village on the lake of Neuchâtel.
And finally
I want to thank all my family for the precious help (son did the website, wife fixed the brilliant food, daughter was at the box-office).
I also thank the StickMasters - Jim, Virna, Ron and André - for their dedication, splendid playing and excellent teaching. Special thanks to Steve Grant, fantastic drummer and musician "hors-pair".
Kudos to the soundman who made a perfect sound and first class recording. Thanks to Patrick Aberle and Vince Villard, owner of the music school.
Also 1'000'000 thanks to Emmett, Yuta and everybody at Stick Enterprise for their dedication and support.