Stewart Smith

Barely an hour ago, Palestinian journalist Anas Al-Sharif warned us all:

“If this madness doesn’t end, Gaza will be reduced to ruins, its people’s voices silenced, their faces erased — and history will remember you as silent witnesses to a genocide you chose not to stop.”

Israel just killed him.

Shame on you. Absolutely disgusting racist language. Reform voters still won’t vote for you.

In a world where International Humanitarian Law was enforced in any meaningful way, Keir Starmer and David Lammy would be sent to the Hague and then to prison for what they've done to the people of Palestine.

PMO: Benjamin Netanyahu decides full IDF occupation of Gaza | The Jerusalem Post The Prime Minister's Office conveyed the message to the Chief of Staff: If this does not suit you, then you should resign.

Think about every pro-Israel person who denied this was the plan for the past 22 months; who gaslit you; denied this to you; pretended this wasn't the plan.

And then never believe those liars about anything ever again.

The article itself avoids this framing and
does a good job of introducing the tradition Chaimbeul is working in/around to a general audience.

The Drone Abides: Bagpipes in Experimental Music From the great Highland bagpipe to the Italian zampogna, bagpipes have particular timbral qualities that lend themselves to folk traditions and experimental music alike.

Great to see Brighde Chaimbeul featured @newyorker.com but the framing of the headline erases all the fine artists who’ve been bringing the pipes into the avant-garde over the past few decades, from Julia Wolfe to Paul Dunmall, Matthew Welch to Yoshi Wada. daily.bandcamp.com/lists/experi...

The Drone Abides: Bagpipes in Experimental Music From the great Highland bagpipe to the Italian zampogna, bagpipes have particular timbral qualities that lend themselves to folk traditions and experimental music alike.

Great to see Brighde Chaimbeul featured, but the framing of the headline erases the many artists who’ve been exploring the pipes in avant-garde settings, from orchestral music to free improvisation. daily.bandcamp.com/lists/experi...

"The BBC World Service has compiled material on over 160 cases where children have been shot in Gaza, and found that in 95 cases the child was shot in the head or the chest. In most of these cases the victim was under 12 years old"

BREAKING: Palestine Action will be able to challenge the UK Government's ban on the organisation

Co-founder Huda Ammori won a legal battle at the High Court today

Amjad Iraqi | Walking Corpses Israel’s allies are still buying time for Israel to change course or come to a deal with Hamas over how many trucks to...

‘Israel’s allies are still buying time for Israel to change course or come to a deal with Hamas over how many trucks to allow in, as though food were a legitimate bargaining chip. Gazans cannot afford to wait for either.’

Amjad Iraqi on the blog: www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2025/ju...

Jungle, funk and 14th-century Arabic astronomers: piano virtuoso Pat Thomas on his journey through jazz He started out playing a cardboard piano, but became a key figure in the improv scene. Now at 64, the musician is having a moment with his danceable quartet [Ahmed]

Happy 65th birthday to the maestro Pat Thomas. One of the greatest musicians & composers of our time. My @theguardian.com interview from last Autumn. www.theguardian.com/music/2024/n...

Could be a Tiesco or similar. Don’t recognise the model, but in that ballpark. From a certain angle it could be an Epiphone Wilshire but neck, pups & scratchplate don’t look right.

someone needs to actually grab these people and go ‘we are heading for an unliveable planet within decades, people can’t afford homes, energy prices are sky high, and you are confabulating drivel about “small boats”, what in the fuck is WRONG WITH YOU’

Interim Report 2025 A selection of best albums released during the first half of the year

ICYMI: I wrote about some of the best albums of the year so far for my newsletter Research Music.

Low key ambient! Post-club mutations! Bosnian folk songs! Free jazz and improv! Tech death metal! There's something for everyone.

Essential business @cafeotodalston.bsky.social Legends Edward George & Mariam Rezaei join the dots between Quincy Jones & Otomo Yoshihide in the latest Strangeness of Jazz. www.cafeoto.co.uk/events/stran...

This is good. All too rare to hear a British politician calling bullshit on the UK’s racist anti-immigration discourse - and the elite interests that narrative serves.

What a melt

Incontrovertible evidence, now, of *police* investigating families supporting their kids with gender affirming healthcare in the UK. For trying to do the best for your child, following best practice in most of the world, here you get a visit from the police.

Thank you, Wes Streeting.

Children queuing for supplements killed in Israeli strike in Gaza, hospital says Eight children were among 15 people reportedly killed when a queue for nutritional supplements was hit in Deir al-Balah.

For people much younger than me: literally two incidents like this in the Siege of Sarajevo were correctly held up as outrageous atrocities in a war that was broadly said to shame the entire continent. As opposed to here, where there are two or three a day and important people will not talk about

Thrilled to be programming some Newcastle gigs @starandshadow.bsky.social starting with the great Tashi Dorji @dorjitashi.bsky.social on Oct 6! With 🔥 support from turntable legend Mariam Rezaei & a cassette DJ set from Posset aka Joe Murray. Tickets: starandshadow.org.uk/programme/ev...

All formats have their positives and negatives. If the price is right.. Tend to avoid overpriced new & collector
stuff but I still love a good dig through SH sections.

Screenshot of a headline reading "Israeli plan for forced transfer of Gaza's population 'a blueprint for crimes against humanity"', with subheading reading "Military ordered to turn ruins of Rafah into 'humanitarian city' but experts call the plan an internment camp for all Palestinians in Gaza"

Absolutely horrific. We are watching ethnic cleansing and genocide happening in broad daylight, in real time. Our govt has a duty to prevent genocide - and yet is still selling arms to Israel. The UK's complicity must end.

I came across this profile and wondered if it might be him, so thanks for spotting too. Worth a DM and/or email to Scarborough Jazz.

A report on South African Jazz from Peace News, Jan 21 1966. Plus a poem by W Price Turner.

Long shot, but does anyone know about Dave Kennard, who wrote jazz reviews for Peace News in the mid 1960s? Not a name I’ve come across elsewhere so could be an Eric Hobsbwam/Francis Newton style pseudonym. This must be one of the earliest UK reports on the Blue Notes.

Fantastic to hear this is coming out. Those early albums go for silly money and the prospect of unreleased stuff 🤯

Following up this post from yesterday by saying I'm coordinating a celebration of JD via a free album being put together over at ILX, where he regularly posted over the years. Full details at this post if you'd like to join. @robertdallasgray.com perhaps you'd like to contribute or spread the word?

Ian Dunt is an idiot and a grifter.

Ban on Palestine Action to take effect after legal challenge fails Group will become first direct action protest group to be banned under Terrorism Act after unsuccessful action

Absolutely grim, a real milestone in Britain's political history.

If there's a route back from this, it will surely require turning our backs on the party that brought this about.

I'm sorry this is totally bananas and should be appealed. I'm genuinely staggered. The Judge should lose his position this is such an obviously awful decision and logic for it.

Tbf fennel sausages are the shit