Originally from the East Coast, Jeffrey Armen has made his home in Phoenix, AZ since 1985. He studied piano and violin as a child, and even performed at Carnegie Hall. In his teens, mesmerized by the sound of the Oud (rhymes with "mood"), Mr. Armen began listening to recordings of master oudists, and taught himself the instrument by ear. The sounds of the oud appeal to a broad spectrum of people, with its unique harmonics, and the beauty that all acoustic instruments have. Mr. Armen's skill with the instrument highlights the wonderful qualities of this ancient instrument.

The Oud is a 2000-year old stringed acoustic instrument. It is the ancestor of the lute, the mandolin and the modern guitar. The instrument has six courses, five of which are unison pairs, and the sixth is a single string. It is tuned in fourths, and is plucked with a quill. Originally, the quill was a feather, but now is a plastic or carved tool specially designed for this purpose. 

The music produced by the Oud is unique and weaves around the listener, carrying with it all the mystery and enchantment of its centuries of existence. According to traditional lore, the wood used to make the instrument still held the songs of the birds who had lived in those trees. If you listen carefully to the music, you can hear the echoes of the bird song. 

"A Break In Time" is Mr. Armen's first solo album. The songs include traditional folk songs learned during his childhood, as well as "standards" such as "Greensleeves." In addition, there are several tracks that were improvised in the studio especially for this collection, at the time the album was recorded. "The songs collected on this album were designed to help soothe the listener," Mr. Armen says. "We live in a very busy, chaotic world, and I wanted to create something that would be a source of calm for people. The oud is the perfect instrument to convey that quality of calm and relaxation. I imagine that the listener has this album playing while relaxing in a warm bath after a long, busy day." 

"Whispers from the Wood" is Mr. Armen's second solo album. It is a collection of traditional songs collected from ancient trade routes. Each song was personally chosen by Mr. Armen to represent his love of music and the instrument he so skillfully plays.