Midwest Mahjar: The Recorded Sounds of the Arabic-Speaking Diaspora in the United States at 78 RPM

  The HW Syrian Record Label: Hanna Wackeen, Dave Bonnesar, and the Connections Between Arabic Music in La Crosse and Los Angeles "Hanna John George Wackeen (oud), Dave M. Bonnesar (riqq), Andrew Mekanna (derbke), pose with Tillie Hakim and Mary Simon." Los Angeles Times Photographic Archive, Library Special Collections,  Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA. On April 24, 2022, we purchased a 78-rpm record on a label we had never seen before. A metallic-gold label, with black font printed in both Arabic and English puzzled us as to whether this “HW Syrian Record” was a disc released with an intended Mahjari or Mashriqi audience in mind. We were equally bewildered by the idea that we purchased this disc from a mobile DJ and record collector who lives in the most northern reaches of the State of Wisconsin – all the way up in Door County. After making the purchase, we inquired as to how such as rare gem had found its way to Door County? Dave replied, “I used to live in Los