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

  The Sweet Sounds and Compositions of Assyrian American Musician Joseph Sugar Joseph R. Sugar, 1946. Union High School yearbook. Courtesy of Ancestry.com Near Eastern American musicians have long come from and identified with a vast array of linguist ethnic groups (Arabs, Armenians, Kurds, Turks, and Assyrians), nationalities, and religious faiths (Christians, Muslims, and Jews) with shared but equally varied facets of expressive cultures. Many first wave immigrants and first-generation musicians from the Near East and North Africa like Alexander Maloof , Mohamed Zaineldeen , Moses Cohen , and others who shared this assortment of ethnic identities collaborated, helped one another, and performed together in the 1910s and 1920s. As some of these pioneering musicians began to pass on in the 1940s and 1950s, those who remained, in addition to younger, and sometimes second-wave immigrants from the Middle East and North Africa, turned toward recording on new microgroove vinyl records. S...

  Sound, Light, and New York City's Little Syria: A Look at Michel Macksoud's Original "Radio Lab" Original photo appeared in Richmond Times Dispatch , December 4, 1955. Courtesy of Shutterstock.com Back in 2019, in our search for information about record shop and record label owner A.J. Macksoud , we learned about the Macksoud family.  The Macksouds were merchants in Manhattan’s and Brooklyn’s Little Syria. They owned a kimono manufacturing business, watch and jewelry stores, and, of course, Abraham J. Macksoud operated his record store since 1907 and a record label since around 1914 on Greenwich then Rector and finally Washington Street including 77, 88, and 89 Washington Street. At the same time A.J. Macksoud managed his phonograph record company, label, and record store, another Macksoud, an M.E. Macksoud , owned and operated his radio and radio components shop at 84 Washington Street.   Ad for M.E. Macksoud's Radio shop from Radio Digest , November 22, 1924....

  Mike Hamway: Syrian American Derbakist Extraodinaire  Mike Hamway, Derbake Player. Courtesy of Richard M. Breaux collection. Usually in Arabic music ensembles, a lead singer, oudist, or violinist gets the majority of attention or have the opportunity to showcase their talents in an oud or violin taqsim. Derbake (dirbakeh, darbuka) players or drum players hardly ever warrant attention, but this month’s post changes all that. One of the most sought after, East Coast derbake players of the middle period was older than many of the other musicians with whom he performed. This fact also helps us understand his passing in the 1960s as the nightclub era was in its infancy. This derbake player is best known for performing with Anton Abdelahad , Joe Budway , Philip Solomon , and Russell Bunai . We’re talking about, of course – Mike Hamway. Mike Hamway was born Michayel Hamway 7 November 1892 in Aleppo, Syria. It’s unclear how many siblings he had or who taught him to play the derbake...