For Mideast's Bob Dylan, poetry and politics make compelling, contentious partners

Speaking from

Montreal last week, Marcel Khalif sounded more like a poet who plays music than an instrumentalist involved

in politics.

Khalif considers himself an apolitical artist - ironic coming from a man dubbed the Pete Seeger of Lebanon, or the Bob Dylan of the Middle East.

His career began about 30 years ago when Khalif started mixing the Christian hymns passed down through his family with Muslim recitations. More recent compositions have taken on the flavor of international jazz. When he's not on the road, Khalif lives in Paris.

This Arabic lute, or oud, virtuoso plays CU-Boulder's Macky Auditorium on Sunday with his Al Mayadeen Ensemble, a group that includes Khalif's sons, Bachar and Rami, on percussions and piano, respectively, and bassist Peter Herbert.

Since the 1970s, politics have been entwined with Khalif's career. Arab music lovers took notice of Khalif early on for his ability to use traditional Arab instruments and songwriting in nontraditional ways. He earned an iconic following in his native Lebanon for persisting with live shows throughout that country's civil war. Khalif gained further acclaim outside the Arab world for putting the verse of secular Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish to music, and then for being tried in Muslim court for offending Islamic law with those lyrics.

But the musician said the aim of his music is to broach a spiritual plane that goes beyond politics as usual. Even while touring Canada and the United States during the latter's charged election cycle, Khalif relied on poetic language to talk about his career rather than political posturing.

'I am more interested in connecting and relating to the public in any country I am visiting, not necessarily the narrow interests of politicians and political parties,' Khalif said through his road manager and translator, Mustafa Habib. 'Unfortunately, politicians have not reached the level of realizing the aspirations and hopes of their own people. That's the case in most of the world.'

A recent National Public Radio interview outlined Khalif's fame throughout the Arab world. The piece included audio clips of fans singing every word of his music during live shows and outlined the way his music causes 'people who feel drained of pride to walk with dignity, their backs straight, their heads held high, and to carry an olive branch even when in mortal peril.'

Arab music experts note that Khalif steered away from lyric- driven songwriting since being tried twice in late 1990s, despite overwhelming public support at the time. Khalif has spoken about being 'deeply hurt' by those fundamentalist proceedings.

Despite such strong loyalty among people in poor and war-torn countries, Khalif continues to be cagey about his own politics. Instead, the musician described the global political arena as something that 'carries the seeds of the destruction of humanity' and added that he wished politicians would 'take a break' and allow poets and artists to pave the way for a more enlightened society.

'We should be searching for the love that we seem to have lost,' he said. 'The meaning of love is not in current political language.'

The only specific issue Khalif mentioned is his concern about world hunger, but said he uses music to express greater indignation.

'My language is completely different from the language of the politicians,' he said. 'My speech is not for the sake of getting votes or getting elected. My language brings people and nationalities together in the search for true peace and the meaning of life.'

Khalif said he is more concerned about global unification than divisiveness. And that is foundation of his music, recorded most recently on the instrumental album 'Caress.'

"When the sun rises every morning, I see it and feel its presence and appreciate its presence,' he said. 'If I had a political program, that would be it."