Layale Chaker

Layale Chaker is a Lebanese composer and violinist who creates musical narratives at the crossroads of contemporary music, jazz, Arabic music and improvisation. Her sound universe weaves a dialogue between ancestral stories and contemporary voices.

His first album with his ensemble Sarafand, ‘Inner Rhyme’, is devoted to the sounds, rhythms and forms of Arabic poetry. The album, released on In a Circle Records, is rated as ‘Top of The World’ by Songlines with a 5-star review, ranked in NPR's Top 10 Releases, #1 on the iTunes and Amazon Music World Music Charts, and receives praise from BBC Music Magazine, New York Times, The Strad, Strings Magazine, and Jazz World, among others.

‘Radio Afloat, the follow-up to Chaker's acclaimed debut album Inner Rhyme, is the vision of a radio lost at sea, evoking a reflection on the intertwined destinies of people and the natural world, which manifest themselves even more strongly in times of collective suffering; a commentary on the ebb and flow of the politics of power, conflict and domination that exacerbate the vulnerability of the earth and those who care for it. As ideologies clash and agendas are revealed, the fragility of our ecosystems and the livelihoods they support is at stake.

Radio Afloat has been hailed by The New York Times, the Strad, Gramophone and BBC Music Magazine, and ranked as one of the best releases of the year by NPR.