Reel History: The Lost Archive of Juma Sultan and the Aboriginal Music Society

Proposal

Pl^P^SAU 48 "MORE THAN WE USED TO REALIZE… RECORDED MUSIC SERVED TO STIMULATE COLLECTIVE MEMORIES AMONG AMERICANS OF DIFFERENT SOCIAL AND ETHNIC BACKGROUNDS WHO WERE… CAUGHT UP IN THE SWIFTLY CHANGING PATTERNS AND POLITICS OF NATIONAL LIFE." W I L L I A M H O W L A N D K E N N E Y , 1 9 9 9 RECORDED MUSIC IN AMERICAN LIFE APEIU 11, ZOOS 49 I F0UND THE RESTAURANTEASIUY, A PIZZA J0INT N0T FAR FR£>M THE THfcUVUAY. I WAITED OUTSIDE- VOH6N HE Dia^VE INT^> THE UTT; HE OPENED HIS VJlND^>VJ AND VJB C^NFIJ2MED ^>UB MUTUAL IDENTITIES- HE SU££BSTED THAT I e^^> IN AND FIND A TABUS IN THE BACK WHERE IT IS SUIBTEE- HE NEEDED TO MAKE A HE VU0UUD PARK AND BE IN M0MBNTARIUY. VOHEN HE ENTEBBE) I 12AISBD MY HAND TO SIGNAL HIM. MB NODDED, APPJ20A6HED, PICKETED A CEUU PH0NB, RBACHBD ^>UT Td5 SHAKE MY HAND, AND SAT ACB^SS Ffc^M MB IN THE 800TH50 51 5* 55 54 55 56 I REMEMBER LESS FR£>M THIS M6BTIN£ THAN ANY0THBR I W0ULD HAVg WITH HIM. WE TRADED SMALL TALK. HB ASK6D ME AB0UT WHSR6 I LIVED, WHAT IDID F£>£ A LIVING I laeSP^NIDBD MOSTLY T^ HISaueSTl£>NS ANDCOMMENTS. voe ^RDeeeD UUNCH. s^>Me^>Ng CAME IN WH0M HE KNEW AND HE EXCUSED HIMSELF TO &O SPEAK WITH HIM AT AN^THEfc TABLE FME P^>INT I BELIEVE I Bfc£U£HT UP A FEW ITEMS fc£LATIN£ TO HIS PAST. I HAVE N0 MEMORY ^F WHAT I MAY HAVE ASKED O*. H0W HE EESP^NDBD. AND UNLIKE AFTER 0THER EN(^>UNTBRS WITH HIM, I APPARENTLY WB^TB N^> AFTEJS-THBFACT N^TES T^ MYSELF £>N ANY ^>F THIS. AT LEAST I HAVEN'T F0UNDANY. 57 I CANRECALL 0NLY TW£> SPECIFIC BITS£>F CONVERSATION, BOTH NEAR THE END OF THE MEETING I £ET A LOT PEOPLE C^NTACTIN^ ME- M^STUV AB^UT MENORIX- TMEV FIND Y^U ^>N THE INTERNET AND EXPECT V^U TO RESPONDBUT THAT'S BASICAUL-V WHAT iDID. Y£>U ASKED ME AB£>UT MV MUSIC- PUUS iVE 6OT VJEUU-DEVEL^)PED BUUUSHIT ANTENNA. Y£>U SEEM T^> BE ^>N THE UEVEL. 58 I MADE MY PE0P0SAU TO HIM. MMM-HMM- fcl. I MB5D JO TAK6 S^>M5 TIME T^) £6T UP THERE AMD SEE VOHAT, IF AKJVTHIM^, IS eE^>/E12ABLE. 59 FIMDIM6 THE TIME IS DIFFICULT. BUT MAYBE VJB CAM££>UU*B£12AT5 IM A YUAY THAT H5UPS US B£>TH60 BY THE TIME I &CK BACK OWTO THE THfctlVJAY T N^RTH, IT HAD STARTED TO EAIKJ. AT A 1ZEST A£6A I CALLED J STA1ZT SBAfcCHIN£." 61 ...