Mosa Kalooky: A Syrian American Kanunist, Hidden in Plain Sight on Maloof Records
Mosa Kalooky: A Syrian American Kanunist, Hidden in Plain Sight on Maloof Records Mosa Kolooky, Caravan , December 1954. Courtesy of Newspapers.com Here at Midwest Mahjar, we do not just feature the most popular or well-known Arab American musicians of the 78-rpm era, we try to include, highlight, and explore the lives of lesser-known recorded musicians as well. Ensemble musicians are often overlooked, if mentioned at all, yet these often-underappreciated oud, kanun, derbeke, and nay players served as the foundation upon which the likes of Elias Louis Wardiny , Salim Doumani , Anthony Shapini , or Wadeeh Bagdady built the legacies we celebrate. One of the rarely-mentioned and barely-noted musicians who recorded in the ensemble on several Maloof Phonograph records was the kanun player – Mosa Kalooky or Moses Kalouky. Mosa Kalooky was born either 5 April 1886 or 10 July 1888 in Homs, Syria. He seems to have immigrated to the United States at the age of 22 in 1...