On Intergenerational Friendships & NSJF! #4
& Music festivals worth knowing!
“Do not be afraid to imagine without limits. Without imagination we have no future ideas. And without ideas we have no future”.
Kahil El’Zabar
This issue is dedicated to the magic of music. Musical forces hold the power to dissolve borders, unite millions, and unleash uninhibited joy.
I’ll take any opportunity to turn work into play, so last week, when my work trip to Amsterdam aligned perfectly with one of the world’s greatest jazz festivals, your girl made sure she made the most of the journey to the lowlands.
Feeling nourished by a particularly creative few meeting days, with a spring in my step I made my way to the station. On a sunny afternoon, on the fast train from Amsterdam to Rotterdam, I took a seat next to an older Spanish gentleman in a white trilby hat. I noticed a ‘North Sea Jazz Festival’ sticker on his suitcase, and so I struck up a conversation with him since we were heading to the same sonic destination. I should’ve clocked from his trilby hat that he was an old-school jazzcat. (sidenote: talk to strangers!!!)
Over the course of our 40-minute train ride, we got acquainted, and I intently listened to his life stories and how he’s been coming to the jazz festival since 1996. An annual tradition he’s been sharing with his daughters and their various boyfriends/husbands, and now grandkids. Isn’t that marvellous?
I asked him how he spends his days in Madrid since retiring a year ago. He told me he goes to the theatre, has a weekly Wednesday ‘Cocido Madrileño & long walk’ ritual with his buddies, reads 7 hours a day, and still keeps one eye on his pharmaceutical business, which his daughter now runs.
I asked him if he exercises…and with a cheeky twinkle in his eyes, he told me…he has a couple of girlfriends for that 🤭. He still smokes, still drinks and clearly gets up to some mischief. He looked bright-eyed, radiated aliveness, and his energy was so playful, and so light.
Alfredo, my new 80-year-old Spanish friend, was a sweet reminder of how I want to be at 80+.
One of my main goals in life is to grow to be a joyful, active, humorous, wise-person in my old age. Specifically I plan to be a funky, elegant, grey-haired, spa&festival-frequenting diva, that (younger) people want to be around (with a stellar collection of vinyls and love stories, if we are really getting specific)!
This intention became a thing for me six years ago, when some older, wise people came into my life, mostly in their fifties and sixties.
When I met these teachers and friends, they were a refreshing contrast from the older people I was used to encountering…most of them were bitter, they looked (and felt) worn out by life, and they carried a lot of heaviness. No judgement over here, but an observation that this was probably the result of harbouring regrets, and being buried under the sorrow and frustration of unresolved issues and unlived potential. Firmly a victim of life, not an active participant exercising their agency. A painful thing to witness.
The cooler, older folks, on the other hand, exude radiance and vitality, and they have a magnetic presence, the kind that makes you want to spend time in their company, listen to their stories and drink from their fountain of wisdom. Deep, yet remaining light in their being.
I’m still uncovering the secrets to their state, though I have picked up on a few things they all have in common.
First and foremost, they balance agency with surrender (a juicier topic for another time). What I know for sure is that they’ve really worked on themselves and their shit…lord knows we all have stuff to work through. They lead unconventional lives, and they really know how to have a good time. On top of that, they don’t take themselves too seriously and they’ve got an excellent sense of humour. Importantly, spirituality is also a core part of their lives, as is living a life that positively benefits others. Emphasis on the last point. Muy importante.
I am so lucky and grateful to have intergenerational connections and positive influences in my life. Having reflected, it appears I have a friend in each decade to learn from and have fun with. How majestic is that?
🕊️May we all age with uninhibited joy, fierce courage and unshakeable integrity - living stories worth telling.🕊️
aaaah. I am soo delighted I was able to turn my work trip into a work-ation and take part in all 3 days of this jewel of a festival. I’m still giddy. What I loved was that they made space for young, upcoming talents without compromising the appetite for the titans (read Diana Ross, Herbie Hancock, Kurt Ellington, Wayne Shorter). It was a superbly curated line-up, with no musical snobbery, but diversity and excellence as filters instead. Highlights for me included: Ezra Collective, Mary J. Blige, Maxwell (drool!), the illustrious Anoushka Shankar, Seu Jorge, Celeste, Odeal and Kamasi Washington.
I didn’t realise until I went that it’s been an institution of a festival for many years, with so many attendees proudly visiting annually for 25+ years and collecting posters and t-shirts from each edition. Felt like being part of something profoundly beautiful. I plan to go back next year. Also random sidenote, but the crowd was so good-looking. Bloody hell. SO many stylish, hot, suave individuals with swagger for days (across all ages/genders, might I add) - I overindulged in people-watching.
Anyhoo, in this edition of the toolbox, I share the overflow of inspiration I feel after attending the fantastic NSJF!
MUSIC IS A HEALING TOOL FOR INSPIRATION, CONNECTION, AND EXPRESSION MA PEOPLE. I’ll repeatedly bang this drum. I wholeheartedly believe in its alchemising powers, and so, I share a roundup of some music festivals worth knowing.
🎷🎸Festivals/Musical Events worth Noting🪇🪕
North Sea Jazz Festival, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Jazzablanca, Casablanca, Morocco
Montreux Jazz Festival, Montreux, Switzerland
Glastonbury, UK
We Out Here, Dorset, UK
Love Supreme, East Sussex, UK
Gala Festival, London, UK
BST Hyde Park, London, UK
Marseille Jazz, Marseille, France
Fête de la Musique, Paris, France
We Love Green, Paris, France
Nice Jazz Festival, Nice, France
Worldwide Festival, Sête, France
Kala, Dhermi, Albania
NoJazz, New Orleans, USA
SoleDXB, Dubai, UAE (come in december!)
Baku JazzFest, Baku, Azerbaijan (always in october!)
Did I miss any? Please share any gems or music joints I must to know about!
I enjoyed Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap’s film on my flight home. Curiously, this is a biopic about the unlikely rascals who are the voice of a civil rights movement to protect their mother tongue.
In case you missed it, Kneecap, Bob Vylan, Nilufer Yanya, Amyl and the Sniffers - and other artists used their space at Glastonbury to speak up about Palestine, and I bow to that. The arts are where truth resides.
This substack on learning how to harness AI in a digestible way is very insightful.
I am officially having a Romantasy summer and I’m obsessed with the ACOTAR series. Gimme more spice 🌶️ (thx leo for influencing me).
Dubai peeps - my gorgeous friend @leoloveshugs and @flywithhaifa are hosting monthly sharing circles at PausClub. Come, let’s connect!