
Juma Sultan is a musician, composer, archivist, educator, and proud resident of New York’s Beautiful and Historic Hudson River Valley. He has played with the likes of Pharaoh Sanders, Archie Shepp, and, probably most famously, Jimi Hendrix during the Woodstock concert. On this night, he and his fantastic ensemble were in the back room of Tubby’s as part of Bicycle Day double bill with Owsley’s Owls.
The type of music the Aboriginal Music Society plays is often called “World-Beat Garage Jazz,” which makes sense. Rhythms and textures from all over the globe coalesce into a beautiful groove. This feels and sounds very New York to me; a true melting pot. It sounds like a sidewalk in any neighborhood where cultures have fused.
The set started with “Sundance” from the very limited Whispers from the Archive LP, giving us all a glimpse into the relaxed and very soulful grooves we would be spending the next hour swimming in. These are long-form pieces, with no rush to finish, and band members are given the chance to stretch their legs. The set ended with a beautiful take on Pharoah Sanders “The Creator Has a Master Plan.” The sun was shining, and this is perfect music for a beautiful spring day.
I also wanted to take a minute to recognize and hip you to Juma’s work as a taper and archivist. He spent much of the 70’s documenting the very vibrant loft jazz scene in NYC. A portion of this archive has been released on the always excellent Emerite Records and also served as the primary source material for Michael Heller’s book “Loft Jazz: Improvising New York in the 1970’s.”
I recorded this from the usual spot at the soundboard with the Schoeps MK22s and a really nice board feed from FOH engineer Nic Panken. Enjoy!
Download and stream from the Live Music Archive:
Juma Sultan’s Aboriginal Music Society
2026-04-18
Tubby’s
Kingston, NY
Source: Scheops MK22 > KCY > PFA + SDB > SD MixPre 3 > SD (24/48) > Adobe Audition/Izotope 9 > Audacity Flac (lvl8) > Mp3Tag
Thanks to Tubby’s FOH engineer, Nic Panken, for the board patch!
Recorded and produced by kliked
Support this excellent artist!
https://jumasultan.org/
https://eremiterecords.bandcamp.com/album/father-of-origin
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https://www.tubbyskingston.com/music-calendar