Musical modernity, Islamic identity, and Arab aesthetics in Arab-Indonesian orkes gambus

I first encountered orkes gambus (“gambus orchestra”) music in Arab-Indonesian communities on the eastern island of Sulawesi. ¹ In the communities I visited, friends often told me that this music was a typical (or “khas”) form of ArabIndonesian music performed at important occasions within Arab-Indonesian communities. Orkes gambus is the term used for a small music ensemble consisting of a gambus lute (the Indonesian term for the ‘ud ), which is the centerpiece of the ensemble, several small drums, an electric guitar, electric bass, electric keyboard, and vocals, performed by young men (Figure 10.1). ² These ensembles most often perform at boisterous Arab-Indonesian wedding parties in which men and young boys dance late into the night at the groom's home (a night known as samrah, or samar). When I asked about orkes gambus music, my young friend Camelia and her cousin Dachril would proudly tell me “orang Arab begitu” (“Arab-[Indonesians] are like that”); they enjoy and identify with orkes gambus music. This music and the samrah evenings in which it is performed are Arab traditions in the cities of Manado, Surabaya, Jakarta, as well as Ternate in the Moluccu Islands. ³