This album was written in moments of serenity, fiercely grabbed from the turmoil and complications of life…

and they are many!

“Doux-Zen” is the result of multiple recording attempts during the period of  2006-2009; at the end of every attempt, we used to listen to the music, wondering if we were able to enjoy the entire album without any feeling of lassitude, until we finally reached the graceful “sound” we were longing for!

I hope this album contributes to a new approach to the Oud, like the few other similar works (notably Marcel Khalife’s Oud duet “Jadal” which is perhaps the most prominent among them).

This album has haunted me for several years. I grew tired at certain moments, with a feeling that the idea was not yet fully mature… I repeatedly chose to withdraw, and wait for positive signals, revealing the eternal longing I had inside of me for this mystery, where wood and strings grow into beams of light

                                                                               Charbel Rouhana