The oud in all its states, the oud through all terrains, the oud with strings that dance on the wood and arch to carry a message of peace and simplicity high, the oud that speaks all languages and extends a hand to all hardened hearts, the oud that seeks comfort in a meeting, the oud that winds through the deserts and the peoples of the world, the oud of elegance and transmission, the oud that blends with the guitar, the Pipa, the saz, the Chagane, the Qobyz, the saung, the rabab, the Guzheng, the Sarod, the Santoor, the Tar, the Kémence to unearth the refinement and incredible variety of cultures, this oud is the extension of the arm of Ibantuta, a Basque artist and musician who set out on the Silk Road in 12 countries over 12 months. The choreography is masterful. 12 pieces remarkably recorded in nomadic conditions, inhabited by encounters with musicians, musicologists, and minstrels who share a common desire to pay a sincere and modern tribute to the essence of traditional music.

This feat is more than an album, it is a humble and major contribution, a musical and ethnomusicological collaboration, a poignant testimony so well set to music that we can only nod in agreement, definitively opening our eyes and ears to the beauty of the world.

Ibantuta must be thanked here for the audacious folly of his bet because, in the end, 'Threads of the Silk Roads' is released in the form of an album, a show, music videos, and short films. It is now an emblematic figure, a sort of Nicolas Bouvier of oud players who travels the world with joy and delight, with a fierce desire to make eternal music and make it contagious. eRno Le Mentholé