Layale Chaker & Sarafand - Khab Nisan (from Radio Afloat, 2024)

“Radio Afloat”, the follow-up to Chaker’s celebrated 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 even louder in times of collective pain;” explains Layale. Featuring her chamber jazz quintet Sarafand, the album is conceived as a suite of intersecting movements. Echoing Lebanese author Ounsi el-Hage’s poem “The Trace of Blue Passion”, it is “a commentary on the ebb and flow of politics of power, conflict and dominance that exacerbate the vulnerability of the land and those who tend to it. Through this exploration, I hope to illuminate the delicate balance in the interplay between human agency and environmental resilience. The radio lost at sea becomes a vessel for introspection, prompting us to confront the consequences of our choices and the urgency of collective action. In the face of adversity, it is a reminder of our shared responsibility to nurture and protect the planet that sustains us all.”
Layale Chaker, violin, composition
Jake Charkey, cello
Phillip Golub, piano & microtonal keyboard
John Hadfield, drums
Sam Minaie, bass
Recorded September 5-7 2023 at The Bunker Studios, Brooklyn, New York
Filmed by FourTen Media
Recorded by Alex Conroy
Produced by Sam Minaie, Layale Chaker & Phillip Golub
Mixed & Mastered by Sam Minaie