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The beguiling improvisations on Love in Exile unfold at their own pace; they are like songs that have been stretched out yet retain an arc. The album's six tracks range in length from eight to fifteen minutes but seem shorter, and were recorded live in the studio, without any preparation; there was little editing afterwards. The winning results demonstrate that the musicians in this trio—Arooj Aftab on vocals (singing in Urdu), Vijay Iyer on piano and electronics, and Shahzad Ismaily on bass and Moog synthesizer—are strongly connected.
Elements of South Asian music are clearly present—Aftab, Iyer, and Ismaily are all of South Asian descent—but these explorations inhabit their own sonic space. The spare, texturally nuanced instrumental music has an ambient quality that sets the stage for Aftab's vocals. Her voice has a clear, warm tone that can take on a rougher quality in its lower register. A fair amount of time may pass before she makes an entrance; when she does, her every inflection rivets.
"To Remain/To Return" opens with drony low tones and shimmering electronics before Iyer adds acoustic piano. Aftab begins to sing three and half minutes into the track. After her lovely statement, she drops out for a while, but eventually returns. In total, she appears on about a third of the piece, and her singing gives shape to everything around it.
The first sound we hear on "Sharabi" is the hypnotic buzz of a panning synthesizer. Aftab makes a relatively early entrance here. Higher-pitched electronics come in, quietly coloring the background, and soon Aftab's voice rises. Tinkling electric piano reverberates; later, acoustic piano picks up on those tones. The music eventually reaches a dramatic peak before it fades, ending the album on a mysterious note. © Fred Cisterna/Qobuz
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Vijay Iyer, Producer, Piano, Recording Arranger, Electro-Acoustic Realization, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Matt Colton, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Shahzad Ismaily, Producer, Synthesizer, Electric Bass, Recording Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Arooj Aftab, Producer, Vocals, Recording Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Damon Whittemore, Mixer, Recording Engineer, Sound Design, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2023 Verve Label Group, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Vijay Iyer, Producer, Rhodes , Recording Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Matt Colton, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Shahzad Ismaily, Producer, Synthesizer, Electric Bass, Recording Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Arooj Aftab, Producer, Vocals, Recording Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Damon Whittemore, Mixer, Recording Engineer, Sound Design, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2023 Verve Label Group, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Vijay Iyer, Producer, Piano, Recording Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Matt Colton, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Shahzad Ismaily, Producer, Synthesizer, Electric Bass, Recording Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Arooj Aftab, Producer, Vocals, Recording Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Damon Whittemore, Mixer, Recording Engineer, Sound Design, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2023 Verve Label Group, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Vijay Iyer, Producer, Piano, Recording Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Matt Colton, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Shahzad Ismaily, Producer, Synthesizer, Electric Bass, Recording Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Arooj Aftab, Producer, Vocals, Recording Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Damon Whittemore, Mixer, Recording Engineer, Sound Design, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2023 Verve Label Group, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Vijay Iyer, Producer, Rhodes , Recording Arranger, Electro-Acoustic Realization, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Matt Colton, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Shahzad Ismaily, Producer, Synthesizer, Electric Bass, Recording Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Arooj Aftab, Producer, Vocals, Recording Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Damon Whittemore, Mixer, Recording Engineer, Sound Design, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2023 Verve Label Group, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Vijay Iyer, Producer, Piano, Rhodes , Recording Arranger, Electro-Acoustic Realization, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Matt Colton, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Shahzad Ismaily, Producer, Synthesizer, Electric Bass, Recording Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Arooj Aftab, Producer, Vocals, Recording Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Damon Whittemore, Mixer, Recording Engineer, Sound Design, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2023 Verve Label Group, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Vijay Iyer, Producer, Piano, Recording Arranger, Electro-Acoustic Realization, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Matt Colton, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Shahzad Ismaily, Producer, Synthesizer, Electric Bass, Recording Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Arooj Aftab, Producer, Vocals, Recording Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Damon Whittemore, Mixer, Recording Engineer, Sound Design, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2023 Verve Label Group, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Album review
The beguiling improvisations on Love in Exile unfold at their own pace; they are like songs that have been stretched out yet retain an arc. The album's six tracks range in length from eight to fifteen minutes but seem shorter, and were recorded live in the studio, without any preparation; there was little editing afterwards. The winning results demonstrate that the musicians in this trio—Arooj Aftab on vocals (singing in Urdu), Vijay Iyer on piano and electronics, and Shahzad Ismaily on bass and Moog synthesizer—are strongly connected.
Elements of South Asian music are clearly present—Aftab, Iyer, and Ismaily are all of South Asian descent—but these explorations inhabit their own sonic space. The spare, texturally nuanced instrumental music has an ambient quality that sets the stage for Aftab's vocals. Her voice has a clear, warm tone that can take on a rougher quality in its lower register. A fair amount of time may pass before she makes an entrance; when she does, her every inflection rivets.
"To Remain/To Return" opens with drony low tones and shimmering electronics before Iyer adds acoustic piano. Aftab begins to sing three and half minutes into the track. After her lovely statement, she drops out for a while, but eventually returns. In total, she appears on about a third of the piece, and her singing gives shape to everything around it.
The first sound we hear on "Sharabi" is the hypnotic buzz of a panning synthesizer. Aftab makes a relatively early entrance here. Higher-pitched electronics come in, quietly coloring the background, and soon Aftab's voice rises. Tinkling electric piano reverberates; later, acoustic piano picks up on those tones. The music eventually reaches a dramatic peak before it fades, ending the album on a mysterious note. © Fred Cisterna/Qobuz
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 7 track(s)
- Total length: 01:15:07
- Main artists: Arooj Aftab Vijay Iyer Shahzad Ismaily
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Arooj - Trio Record
- Genre: Jazz
© 2023 Verve Label Group, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc. ℗ 2023 Verve Label Group, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
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