[4] Jandali's music ranges from chamber works to large symphonic compositions integrating Middle-Eastern and Western influences.

[8][9] Jandali won first place in the Syrian National Young Artists Competition in 1988, and in 1995 received a scholarship to attend North Carolina School of the Arts under Eric Larsen.

[9] He graduated from Queens University, where he studied under Paul Nitsch and received the Outstanding Musical Performer Award of the school.

[9] In 2004 he received his master's degree from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte[8] and in 2015 the Carnegie Corporation of New York named him a "Pride of America" honoree for his notable contributions to society.

[27] He has a special interest in Arab music and combines the maqamat or modes with western harmony in his piano and orchestral compositions.

[9] Malek's compositions not only integrate Middle-Eastern modes into Western classical forms and harmony, they echo UNESCO's call to preserve and protect the rich cultural heritage of Syria and the Silk Road at a time when it is in danger of being eradicated.

[31] The title track is based on a hymn to Nikkal, one of the Hurrian songs inscribed on cuneiform clay tablets discovered in Ugarit, Syria, and thought to date from 1400 BC and thus to be the oldest notated music in the world.

[2][37] He is also the founder of the Malek Jandali International Youth Piano Competition, which encourages talented young pianists from around the globe to embrace the music of their homelands and submit applications for the chance to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

[citation needed] Inspired by stories from the Arab Spring, in April 2011 Jandali wrote Watani Ana (I am my Homeland).

[43] In June his scheduled appearance at the annual convention of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) was cancelled, reportedly because he planned to perform Watani Ana.

[44] The initial statement issued by the ADC did not make clear the reason for the cancellation,[45] and attracted criticism from other organizations including the Arab-American Institute.