Rob(ert) Farhat

I don’t usually do these kind of videos, but I wanted to share some personal thoughts and concerns on the rise of the far right in Ireland and what we need to do about it. This has become a serious fucking issue and the time for complacency is over. If you can take 10 mins if your time please consider giving it a watch. Hopefully see some of you at @lecheilednd ’s solidarity rally and march tomorrow. But more importantly, I’m asking you to actively work to counter racism and support refugees and migrants in Ireland. Thank you. #RefugeesWelcome #IrelandForAll

It’s been an absolute privilege getting to work with the incomparable poet, writer, musician, academic and polymath @anthony.joseph_poet over the years, starting with his Windrush Celebration at @londonjazzfest which was the first big project I worked on for @seriouslivemusic in 2018, and eventually coming on board as his manager last year. Today he releases his 10th album in 20 years, a monumental work called The Ark which was produced by the legend @dave_okumu_ , serving as a sequel of sorts to last year’s album Rowing Up River To Get Our Names Back. It’s a blistering, epic collection of tracks featuring some of his most vital work to date, with an incredible other-worldly album cover by @raimundwong , released by @heavenly_sweetness . On Sunday we’re hosting an album listening party at @brilliant_cnrs , where Anthony and Dave will be in conversation with Kevin Le Gendre – at 2pm and it’s free in. And we’ll have shows in London and beyond to announce very soon too. Most importantly, I hope you’ll listen to and enjoy the album. See you on The Ark.

November 20th, 2018, jaimie branch kicked off a two-night stand at London’s @cafeotodalston , as part of the 2018 EFG @londonjazzfest . Parts of her album FLY or DIE II: bird dogs of paradise were recorded those nights (including the album’s certified banger “nuevo roquero estéreo”). Former @seriouslivemusic programmer @robfarhat was crucial to putting the shows together, so we asked him to share some memories. Rob recalls: “When I joined the team at Serious and the EFG London Jazz Festival in 2018, jaimie was one of the first artists I knew I wanted to bring to the festival. I had come from more of an experimental music than a strictly jazz background, so her first Fly or Die album really resonated with me as it straddled so many musical worlds, and I thought hosting her at London’s home of adventurous music Cafe OTO would be the perfect statement for the festival as we began to bring it into a new era. jaimie had made an appearance in 2017’s legendary #CHICAGOxLONDON at the @totalrefreshmentcentre , and both the festival and IARC wanted to build on that by presenting a two day residency at OTO with her incredible fly or die band – while jaimie herself also made a guest appearance with Nubya Garcia and Makaya McCraven at CHIxLDN part 2 at EartH. The shows were electric, with the intimacy of a sold out OTO bringing a magnetic energy to jaimie’s two sets on each night – playing the first Fly Or Die record in one half and the new material for FLY or DIE II in the other. jaimie played at the festival twice more – performing at @church_of_sound in 2019 right after the release of FLY or DIE II, then in @thejazzcafe in 2021 right after we came out of covid. Each and every performance and interaction we were lucky to have with her felt like a one-of-a-kind experience – bringing an artistically and politically radical presence that left its mark in a way that few artists do, and I feel extremely privileged to have been able to bear witness to it.” (📸: @dawid.laskowski.photography )

Two years of livestreamed genocide have come to an end, and while this should come as a massive relief, there are still a multitude of reasons to be concerned, angry, and to protest: Israel has repeatedly and unilaterally broken previous ceasefire agreements in Gaza and Lebanon, and there’s no reason to trust them not to do so again once they get their hostages back Israel still controls the flow of aid into Gaza. During the last ceasefire they still withheld huge amounts, and given how they treated the flotilla it’s very likely they’ll do so again The long term plan in the deal is grossly unjust, with Donald Trump and Tony Blair leading a technocratic council that will oversee Gaza’s governance in a laughably absurd, evil, colonial throwback The deal stipulates that Palestinians must demilitarise but not Israel. Personally I’d love to see the whole world demilitarised, but the idea that an occupied people who just suffered a genocide must disarm, while one of the most well-funded militaries in the world who committed the genocide doesn’t, is clearly preposterous As the IDF partially withdraws from Gaza they will most likely turn their attention back to the West Bank, which Israel’s far-right government has made clear they plan to fully annex while the illegal settlement project continues unabated, and where Palestinians are routinely murdered by both settler terrorists and the IDF on a daily basis While the hostage exchange does entail the release of thousands of Palestinian “prisoners” – most of whom are either held without trial or else went through a kangaroo military court – they still refuse to release some of their most important political prisoners, most notably Marwan Barghouti – often referred to as the “Palestinian Nelson Mandela”, due to his likely ability to unify Palestinians around a long term peace deal Nothing about the deal changes the status quo from before the genocide, which is that Israel/Palestine is an apartheid state – according to not just every major human rights organisation but even the former head of Mossad Tamir Pardo – and that Palestinians will continue to live under occupation, starvation, and displacement #FreePalestine

Next Wednesday the wonderful @peckhamchamberorchestra has its summer concert, and as part of the programme I’ve arranged and will be conducting some of the late, great David Lynch and Angelo Badalamenti’s incredible soundtrack for Twin Peaks. It’ll be my first time conducting in 6 years and first time arranging since my @trinity_orchestra days 14+ years ago! I’m still not over David Lynch’s passing and wanted to pay tribute in some small way, and I’m really happy with how it’s coming together 🏔️🏔️ The concert also features @buki.baybee conducting Miguel Atwood-Ferguson’s legendary orchestral J Dilla tribute, @ben.bjd with a piece inspired by Midsummer Night’s Dream, a Nintendo medley, Anna Meredith cover, and a hilariously brilliant new piece by @benji_benji__benji_benji_benji about how annoying emails are featuring @other_kat ’s @londoncommunitylaptoporchestra . Hosted by our iconic founder @foxymoron87 , we’ll be returning to @copelandparkse in Peckahm with doors opening at 7.30pm and music kicking off at 8.30pm. As always it’s free in but donations are most welcome. Hope to see some of you there x

Before the ridiculous ban goes into effect I just wanna say I unequivocally support Palestine Action (@resisttheban ). They are one of the only groups in the UK whose actions have actually had a negative impact on the companies supporting and profiting from Israel’s genocide in Gaza. But their activities have been entirely nonviolent and their only “crime” has been sabotaging and vandalising weapons, factories and offices of mass murder. Not a single human being has been harmed in the process. Proscribing them as a terrorist organisation puts them on the same legal footing as ISIS and Neo Nazi groups, and means even expressing support for them in the UK (after midnight tonight) could result in as much as a 14 year prison sentence. By the same logic, the Suffragettes would have been proscribed as a terrorist organisation. Now they have a train line named after them. Meanwhile the people and companies responsible for the mass murder of Palestinians go scot-free. It’s absurd. I hope they appeal the decision and if they do, I’d urge anyone who can to make a donation to their legal fees. This is also part of an alarming wider trend of an authoritarian crackdown on protest and dissent in western so-called “democracies”, at a time when our democratic institutions are being eroded while our governments provide the arms, funding and moral support for a maniacal rogue nation committing a genocide in front of our very eyes. We cannot be complacent about this – the road to fascism is paved with indifference.

The world really sucks at the moment so I went to Armenia, travelled back in time, and won’t be coming back. It’s been nice knowing you!

I have never been this upset about an artist I didn’t know personally passing away. No one ever has or will tell stories the way he did. No filmmaker ever has or will use music and sound the way he did. His work might not be for everyone, but I honestly don’t think it’s possible to watch one of his films, Twin Peaks, or even his PS2 ad without it expanding your idea of what art can be, and without it fundamentally changing how you look at the world in some small way, even if you don’t realise it. If there’s one thing I hope artists can take away from his incredible legacy, it’s that you should always stay as true and uncompromising as possible to whatever weird artistic vision you have. And if any of the jerks who work in your so-called “industry” tell you otherwise, ignore them – they don’t know what they’re talking about. Happy birthday and thank you for everything David Lynch you visionary fucking weirdo. I loved you so much <3

Shoutout to my cousin @sevanatchak and @soutoura.d ’s cat Kovu who could clearly sense my distinct indifference to his species (sorry / not sorry) and wouldn’t leave me tf alone in a vain attempt to win me over. Nice try mate but it ain’t happening, I will never trust those feline fuckbois.

There are countless reasons to vote for a change of government in Ireland today, but this statistic alone should be enough. For decades, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have overseen an economy that prioritises vulture funds, property developers and landlords, resulting in one of the biggest housing crises in Europe. There are now almost 15,000 homeless people in Ireland – 4,500 of whom are children. These numbers have been increasing by roughly 15% year on year during the lifetime of this current administration. For those who are lucky enough to have a home, it is now more expensive to live in Dublin than London. Meanwhile, the severe housing crisis has offered the far right the opportunity to scapegoat immigrants and refugees rather than the real culprits responsible. If it is allowed to continue, Ireland may face an irreversible descent into fascism. So we desperately need a change. None of the alternatives are perfect, but the left wing parties at least offer some potential solutions that FGFF never will. Realistically, the best we can hope for is a Sinn Fein led coalition with the left. While some of their policies are good and they have a couple impressive individuals (mainly Eoin O Braoin), SF clearly don’t have strong principles hence why it’s vital to have a large left wing presence to hold them to account. And while this may seem counterintuitive, due to the quirk of Ireland’s unusual electoral system, in order to keep out the far right it is in fact VITAL to give preferences to every other candidate all the way down the ballot – including FG/FF. if you’re confused as to why this is, feel free to shoot me a message and I can explain why this is necessary in more detail. And for a more detailed explanation of why FG/FF’s policies offer no solutions to the housing crisis and will only make things worse, I highly recommend watching my good pal @rkitt4eva ’s recent videos. Sadly as a citizen abroad I can’t vote in the election, but I would like to return to Ireland someday. But for me and thousands of other emigrants like me to be able to afford come back, we need the country to take a radically new direction. So please, #votelefttransferleft

This is my first time in 7 years not working directly for @londonjazzfest , but it’s been a real treat getting to continue working with the festival by putting together its programme at @kingsplacelondon Starting tonight and running for the next 10 days, we’ve got a wide array of artists spanning the full spectrum of the genre, featuring: @fergusmccreadie + @juliettelemoinecello @ibelisseguardiaferragutti + @frank_rosaly : MESTIZX @tashiwada w/ @juliaholter @emmarawiczmusic : Visitor from Everywhere @one.stab + @ruthgoller @faraj_suleiman [presented by @marsm_uk ] @normanwillmoremusic + @corriedick @nduduzomakhathini @gaister___ [@akihide_monna + @cobysey + @oliviasalvadori ] + @maxwellsterling ‎أحمد [Ahmed] + @elainemitchener1 w/ @neilacharles @arvetrumpet + @harmenfraanje @alicezawadzki + @fredthomasmusic + @mishamullovabbado @mindy_mengwang + @official_paulgrabowsky w/ @eishanensemble @tom_warriors ’ @nucivilisationorchestra presents Duke Ellington’s New Orleans Suite @xhosacole : FreeMonk I’m also proud to be rocking this “jazz against apartheid” jumper, c/o @thejazzestate . Jazz is an inherently political artform that’s rooted in the African-American struggle for liberation, which is too often whitewashed and forgotten by its gatekeepers and institutions. There’s loads more great stuff across the festival that’s been put together by my old pals at @seriouslivemusic and their many partners and I wholeheartedly recommend checking out the full programme. #WeAreJazz

It is abundantly clear that after over a year of Israel’s genocide in Gaza and further massacres in Lebanon and the West Bank, simply posting, protesting, and voting is not enough to put an end to this. When a country which is built on forced displacement, further colonisation of its surrounding land, the dominance of one ethno-religious group, and a delusional belief that God has given them the exclusive right to occupy an entire region, is allowed to break international and humanitarian law with impunity for decades, clearly Western leaders are not going to stop them and we need to take matters into our own hands. Which is why direct action such as @pal_action ’s infiltration of weapons manufacturing plants in the UK, @shannonwatch trying to prevent the US military from using Shannon airport, or @jewishvoiceforpeace occupying the New York Stock Exchange today are absolutely to be applauded. While not everyone is in a position to take those kinds of actions, the least we can do is support them, while taking measures to boycott goods/companies on the @bds.movement list. Pretty much every industry has some sort of link to the military industrial complex too – including the music industry, which I’ll write more about soon – which we all have a responsibility to demand our employers divest from. While electoral politics clearly has its limitations, we can at least pressure our representatives to stop providing arms to Israel, implement sanctions, and boycott goods produced in illegal settlements – as the Occupied Territories Bill which passed in Ireland’s Seanad in 2018 but is being blocked in the Dáil does. With an election around the corner in Ireland, it is ESSENTIAL to make clear to all candidates that unless they commit to passing and implementing the bill, they will not get your vote. The same principle applies to UK/US politics too. Seeing the horrific images of people being burned alive by the Israeli strike on Al-Aqsa Hospital this morning, it’s easy and understandable to spiral into complete despair and hopelessness. But we need to channel that rage into concrete action, and these are just some of the ways we can do that. #FreePalestine