He studied at the Paris'École Normale de Musique' in the 60s. He discovered first the oud and then the qanun(which was later part of his name. He became a famous player of those instruments and founded in 1983 the 'Al-Kindi' instrumental ensemble of soloists which gave concerts or played with singers. He converted to Islam in 1986 and took the name Jalal ad-Din in homage to Rumi the founder of Mevlevi Order, the whirling dervishes.