Love in Exile
Musical worlds converge in these dark, celestial dreamscapes featuring Urdu-language vocalist Arooj Aftab with the acclaimed Vijay Iyer (piano, Rhodes, electronics) and Shahzad Ismaily (bass, Moog bass). All three have a complex connection to the South Asian diaspora: Iyer and Ismaily were born in the States to Indian and Pakistani parents, respectively; Aftab grew up in Lahore, came to study at Berklee, and settled in New York, charting a course that led to a historic Grammy for Best Global Music Performance in 2022 (the first Grammy for a Pakistani artist). Ismaily played synth on the winning track, “Mohabbat,” from Aftab’s celebrated *Vulture Prince*. Here, he parlays with Aftab at album length, joining a kindred spirit in Iyer, a fellow member of Greg Tate’s experimental big band Burnt Sugar the Arkestra Chamber back in the 2000s. The extended pieces on *Love in Exile* have Aftab’s haunting yet inwardly calm voice at the fore, floating atop a sustaining low end of Ismaily’s raw electric basslines and Moog drones and Iyer’s spacious electroacoustic environments. Even without the input of a drummer, there’s often a very present sense of pulse, akin to a beating and soulful heart.
Recording live in the studio with just voice, keys, and bass, the trio achieves an almost telepathic connection: three seasoned musicians breathing together as a single organism.
Recording live in the studio with just voice, keys, and bass, the trio achieves an almost telepathic connection: three seasoned musicians breathing together as a single organism.
The Pakistani American singer’s follow-up to breakthrough album Vulture Prince is a tender, softly triumphant reunion with her former collaborators
The Pakistani American singer’s follow-up to breakthrough album Vulture Prince is a tender, softly triumphant reunion with her former collaborators