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Thanks to all for writing and for your questions and thoughts. Always appreciated. For this recent one, I am going to paraphrase the question: "Dave, I'm having trouble knowing what to practice. I feel like I am working a lot but...

This Sunday, April 21, from 3pm to 6pm we will gather again at Shapeshifter Lab in Brooklyn. The main focus of this workshop will be reading the music from my sextet album Soul On Soul, dedicated to Mary Lou Williams. The Workshop will also consider elements of composition and performance, with plenty of time for questions and discussion. Come join us, you can play or just listen.

Very happy to make the new book available. It has lyrics as well as clearly detailed voicings and arrangements. It’s a nice complement to the other sheet music in the shop, which you can find here. I had a few questions for Dave as we proofed the Be Still Book. A brief discussion ensued. Warning: this gets really muso nerdy.

ast week, just after posting some in-depth thoughts on the workshop and mentorship process, Dave started working with students at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Lucky for all of us on this side of the Atlantic, guitartist Alex Roth gives us a detailed account of the week at the London Jazz blog.

Every time I see a teaching artist talk about music I learn something new. Every time I look at a contemporary book or blog post explaining creative music work I find something I've never seen before. Not that I always agree. Yes, agreement about practicing scales and chords and patterns and rhythms is easy. But it's in the fundamental conception of the creative process and how to address it that things get interesting. That's where new jazz workshops around the globe are taking the lead in passing on this tradition in a way that used to be covered by working mentorships and touring.

Application deadline: January 23, 2012. Under the leadership of trumpeter/composer Dave Douglas and his hand-picked group of leading jazz faculty, this unique program leaves the rigid academic environment behind, encouraging creativity and facilitating leaps of artistic innovation. Participants benefit from daily master classes, small ensemble rehearsals, and common sessions with some of the world’s most inspiring jazz musicians.