LOVE IN EXILE: arooj aftab / vijay iyer / shahzad ismaily at the town hall, nyc, sep 14, 2023 - with support from kalia vandever
photography by ©Clara Pereira; text by Filipe Freitas
The excellent trio of Pakistani-born, Brooklyn-based singer Arooj Aftab, Indian-American pianist Vijay Iyer, and American multi-instrumentalist of Pakistan descent, Shahzad Ismaily, gathered at The Town Hall in New York City to celebrate the release of their stunning debut album, Love in Exile (Verve, 2023), a persuasive interlacement of traditional South Asian sounds and contemporary improvised music.
Opening for them was trombonist Kalia Vandever. Unaccompanied but equipped with loop and effect pedals, she presented compositions from her latest album, We Fell in Turn (AKP Records, 2023), a sonic reflection of childhood memories and related vivid dreams. The unpretentious layered sounds have a hypnotic effect, etherealized by her singing and spoken word. Numbers such as “Held In”, “Recollections from Shore” (which establishes a sonic bridge to her Hawaiian roots), and a new piece called “Fall Again” were chosen for the performance.
With tangible emotion, spiritual consciousness, and a strong chemistry, the headliner trio delivered an awe-inspiring concert, forging a strong connection with the audience and welcoming them into an idiosyncratic sonic world that feels simultaneously deep-rooted and global. They convey both nostalgia and thankfulness using entrancing pedal points, exquisite grooves, nuanced minimalism, thoughtful improvisation, and heavenly chants in Urdu that effortlessly levitate us.
The delicate instrumental transformations reached sublime moments as Iyer (toggling between the Fender Rhodes and piano) and Ismaily (switching between electric bass and Moog synth) never lose sharp focus. Demonstrating to be a splendid communicator, Aftab, who declared to be drunk and tired after 90 minutes in heels, put on display all her musicality, depth, control, and vocal precision. The intensities were palpable, and a number of haunting pieces caused pleasurable frisson by combining poignancy and unfettered beauty. A wonderful concert, to be remembered.