The Al-Kindi (correctly spelled Al-Kindî) Ensemble, founded in 1983 by the swiss-french virtuoso of Arab zither (qânûn) Julien Jâlal Eddine Weiss, resident in Aleppo (capital of northern Syria and a stopping place on the famous Silk Road) is currently rated among the best formations devoted to classical Arab music, owing to the musical qualities displayed by its performers, and to the high standard of its work, steeped in the various musical traditions of the near and middle East. The group takes its name from the famous 9th century arab philosopher, Abu Yusuf Ya‘qub ibn Ishaq Al-Kindi (ca. 800–870 CE), and, just like the philosopher surrounded himself with Hellenistic, Persian, Syriac and Indian lectures, the group takes inspiration from different traditions. Its repertoire is drawn from the so-called Arab-Andalusian tradition of North Africa, the heir of the magnificent Islamic civilization of Spain; it delved into the Syro-Egyptian tradition which flourished during the artistic renaissance (Al Nahda) of the 19th century, and found inspiration in the Iraqi tradition in the footsteps of the Abbassid dynasty, and as well in the Turkish instrumental music of the Ottoman Empire. The group worked first as a quartet, then as a septet, went through a trio period and presently is a Takht Sharqi (traditional oriental ensemble). This is composed of a qânun (a table zither with pinched strings), an Ud (oriental lute), a Nay (reed flute) and a riqq (small tambourine with little cymbals). Their official site, in both english and french, is http://www.alkindi.org. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.