"Rasika: Beyond the Bounded Territories" features newly commissioned works by composers rooted in Indian music, alongside Hindustani music performed on cello. This project explores hybridity and the overlapping spaces between Western and Indian music, highlighting points of tension or commonality, and new syntheses of Indian techniques and grammar. Rasika showcases contemporary musical thought coming from the fertile ground of Indian traditions and their diaspora in the 21st century.
@jakecharkey is a trailblazing cellist who blends Hindustani music with contemporary genres, redefining the cello's sound. Described by composer Clinton Cerejo as someone who “redefines the sound of cello,” Jake’s work features in over 100 Bollywood soundtracks, Netflix’s Sacred Games, MTV’s Coke Studio, and MTV Unplugged. He has performed at Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, and Lincoln Center, among others.
🗓️ 03/07 at 10pm
📍 St. Marien, Osnabrück
🎟️ Free entry.
You can also hear Jake as a member of the chamber jazz ensemble Sarafand with Layale Chaker on July 4 at the Lagerhalle.
#morgenlandfestival #morgenlandfestivalosnabrück #morgenlandfestival2025 #morgenlandfestivalosnabrück2025 #mfo2025 #festival #livemusic #jakecharkey
Here’s an excerpt of this gorgeous piece that I commissioned by Akshaya Avril Tucker and premiered yesterday at the Brattleboro Music Center - in my hometown!
Akshaya crafted this piece with me in mind, using the open tuning I use for Indian music and leaving space for improvisation and ornamentation. While the piece makes use of the fluidity of Indian techniques, its subject is more personal.
This is what Akshaya wrote about this music:
Asleep, with waves of rest and restlessness, my imagination takes over. Where can I travel, what laws of physics can I break tonight? As a kid, I used to have a recurring dream. It was generally a bit lucid; I had some degree of control. I would walk out to the front yard of our house in Western Massachusetts - an expansive grassy incline with tall trees on either side. I jumped. My body flew up and was suspended high in the air, just above the tree tops. Then I’d fall slowly down to earth, and I’d try to repeat this over and over...
This idea: the will to propel yourself upwards, and gravity slowly pulling you down... This gesture is what the piece describes. Sometimes, magically, we are suspended even longer in the air, a bird’s eye view. Flying.
I’m so happy to launch this piece! Look out for the recording of it which will come out on my album next year.
@bmcvtig@akshayatucker
Credits
@audio.vitor - Audio Recording/Mixing
Alessio Romano - Director of Photography & Camera Operator
@studio42brooklyn - Production
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#cello #celloextendedtechniques #newmusic #akshayatucker #contemporaryclassical #violoncello #concerts #musicfestival #livemusic #hindustaniclassicalmusic #hindustanicello #indianclassicalcello #indianclassicalmusic #celloconcerto #cellist #ragastrings #strings #gayakiangcello #composer #jakecharkey #cellolove #solocello #indiancello #performance #contemporarymusic #northindiancello #ragacello
Some clips from the world premiere of J/J for solo cello and orchestra by Stan Charkey. Performed in Sept. 2019 in my hometown with Juno Chamber Orchestra.
#cello #celloextendedtechniques #newmusic #contemporaryclassical #orchestra #concerts #musicfestival #hindustaniclassicalmusic #hindustanicello #indianclassicalcello #indianclassicalmusic #celloconcerto #cellist #ragastrings #gayakiangcello #composer #stancharkey #jakecharkey #solocello #indiancello #performance #contemporarymusic #northindiancello #nycmusic #solocello #ragacello
Our art influences the music today at 440 Gallery. Stop in—noon to 6pm—to view our shows and take a seat to enjoy a live improv set as Jake Charkey brings his sound to the gallery at 4:40pm. Hosted by Michel Gentile from connectionsworks.org and 440 Gallery host James Acevedo. Suggested donation $15.
Our two shows run through May 24, 2026
“Meet Me Underwater” a solo show by Leigh Blanchard.
“Drawing the Line” a group show by Jo-Ann Acey, Catherine Orrok and Janet Pedersen.
Follow @440gallery here to stay up to date on our shows and activities, and read more about the work at 440gallery.com #autisticartist #neurodivergentartist #artisticautistic #photomixedmedia @jakecharkey
Meet Jake, cello player featured in our ensemble set at Joes Pub. Our show ‘Ahista Geet’ invites you to inhabit the spaces in the sargam, slowly, slowly — let’s paint our minds with ragas together, 4.2
Jake and I met in New York through Brooklyn Raga Massive, at a BRM jam session. When I first moved here, within the first couple of weeks I met people from the BRM circle through Abhik Mukherjee and Neel Murgai, and suddenly I was part of a community.
After meeting Jake Charkey, the rest just happened. Countless practices, so many gigs, hours of music that were never documented. We were never worried about content. Serious musicians live to make music, not to package it.
But I found these photos and a short clip and felt like sharing. I’m looking forward to playing a lot more this year with Jake, who moves effortlessly between Hindustani and Western classical, and all the spaces in between.
That’s the beauty of New York. Your collaborator can also be your neighbor. Jake is all of that to me a neighbor, a friend, a collaborator, and someone I continue to learn from.
#cello #hindustani #mir_tabla #tabla #brooklyn
✨Experience two fantastic cellists. -From a solo set of David Downing’s mesmerizing loop-based compositions followed by a soulful segment drawing on Jake Charkey's deep roots in Hindustani music.
🎭Co-presented with BLUEBARN Theatre
⛳️The outdoor lawn of Bluebarn Theatre sets the scenery of this spectacular concert. Bring blankets/chairs and friends.
🦄CELLO SPECTRUM
From Raga to Reverb: Hindustani Roots and Electric Loops
📆Thurs. July 31
9:00 PM
📲Free entrance. RSVP: /concert/cello-spectrum-from-raga-to-reverb/ #NebraskaCrossroads #worldmusic #ContemporaryMusic #GenreFusion
On a recent holiday I had the pleasure of spending the day in the park with three families (and mine). The children fell into the most perfect of all childhood rituals: self directed play. They constructed a “worm sanctuary”. They were dirty, stimulated and blissful. #familyphotography #earlychildhood @jakecharkey@veronicasimasdesouza
A double billing of sonic contrasts and cello virtuosity.
From ancient strings to electric dreams...
Two cellists. Two continents. One unforgettable sound. Experience the fusion of Hindustani classical tradition and live-looped experimentation in this genre-defying late-night performance.
Featuring cellist Jake Charkey , who brings the soulful depth of raga, and genre-hopping cellist David Downing , layering loops, textures, and surprises.
FREE attendence. RSVP required. Link in a bio 👆
Outdoor experience on the green. Blankets and chairs encouraged.
@bluebarntheatre_omaha
Back for her fourth Crossroads appearance, Layale Chaker brings her acclaimed ensemble Sarafand to perform their evocative new release.
Where Arabic maqams meet modern jazz.
Layale Chaker and her dynamic ensemble Sarafand weave melodies from the Levant into stunning, jazz-infused soundscapes.
A genre-defying performance led by one of the most captivating violinists and composers of our time, this is music that transcends borders—and lingers in the soul.
Join us for an unforgettable evening of Arabic Jazz Fusion at Kimball Hall.
FREE attendance. RSVP required. Link in bio ☝️
