Fall of the Moon Marcel Khalife An homage to Mahmoud Darwish Nagam Records c/o Rock Paper Scissors 511 West 4th Street, Suite 2 Bloomington, IN 47404 $19.78 www.rockpaperscissors.biz

Lebanese master of the oud (a type of lute) Marcel Khalife presents Fall of the Moon, a poignant, 2-CD tribute to Khalife's departed friend and collaborator, the Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish. A fervent supporter of the Arab Spring political movement, Khalife sings in support of protesters in Tunisia, Bahrain, Egypt, and Syria, promoting a brighter future in which human rights are rightly respected. The songs experiment with elements of Western chamber music, jazz, or even rock amid the traditional cultural rhythms and Khalife's unique personal touch. Fall of the Moon is an emotionally compelling album, highly recommended especially for private and public library international music collections. The tracks are "The Pigeons Fly" (9:40), "And We Love Life" (9:43), "The Stranger's Bed" (4:50), "Oh, My Proud Wound" (3:40), "Mohammad" (9:02), "Houriyeh's Instructions" (13:07), "Jahar Kah" (2:13), "Now, in Exile" (12:13), and "Two Guitars" (5:39) on the first CD, and "Fall of the Moon" (7:23), "A Song On My Mind" (5:00), "Remember" (1:55), "Her Eyes" (7:34), "The Poem of the Land" (3:55), "Waltz for Rita's Winter" (8:35), "Palestinian Mawwal" (4:29), "The Most Beautiful Love" (6:43), and "In Damascus" (4:27) on the second CD.