Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer & Shahzad Ismaily announce ‘Love in Exile’ & tour, share “To Remain/To Return”
Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer, and Shahzad Ismaily have collaborated on a new album, Love in Exile, that will be released March 24 on Verve Records. “This project is so dear to me,” says Iyer. “Making music with Arooj and Shahzad is nothing less than an out-of-body experience. Even though I’m right there in it, I find myself witnessing the music as if from above. I’m weirdly in awe of our unhurried, mysterious creations; they seem to arrive fully formed from somewhere else. I can’t wait for everyone to hear, feel, and live with this record."
The album was recorded live in the studio with minimal edits, and the trio have shared an excerpt of the hypnotic nine-minute opener, "To Remain/To Return." Says Arooj, "This piece holds, at its core, the delicately unfolding emotion of separation anxiety induced fury (see: love, self exile) between two people who are deeply connected. One is leaving and the other is asking them to stay. The former is saying ‘I will leave but I will also return’; in better form for the both of us.” Ismaily adds, "We all provide the best we can. In my case it's euclidean rhythms, crystals to hold the oceanic beauty of Vijay's keys and the silent raven of Arooj's voice. We grow to the company that we keep; I am both fortunate and grateful." Check out the visualizer below.
The trio will debut Love in Exile in March at the 2023 Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, and will perform the album on tour starting in April, stopping in NYC on September 14 (venue TBA). Check out all tour dates below.
Love in Exile:
1. To Remain/To Return (9:19)
2. Haseen Thi (12:09)
3. Shadow Forces (14:11)
4. Sajni (8:15)
5. Eyes of the Endless (14:50)
6. Sharabi (13:42)
(Trio performing Love in Exile)
Mar 31 — Knoxville, TN — Big Ears Music Festival
Apr 14 — North Bethesda, MD — Strathmore — The Music Center
Apr 28 — Burlington, VT — UVM Recital Hall
May 7 — Krems an der Donau, AT — Donau Festival, Minoritenkirche
May 9 — Brussels, BE — Les Nuits Botanique Festival, Notre Dame Church
May 11 — Luxembourg, LU — Neimënster
May 13 — Berlin, DE — XJAZZ! Festival, Emmauskirche
May 25 — Hamburg, DE — Elbphilharmonie
May 29 — Zurich, CH — Moods
May 30 — Utrecht, NL — Tivoli Vredenburg
June 2 — London, UK — Barbican Centre
Jun 26 — Vancouver, BC — Vancouver Jazz Festival
Jun 28 — Ottawa, ON — Ottawa Jazz Festival
Jun 29 — Montreal, PQ — Montreal Jazz Festival
July 27 — North Adams, MA — Bang on a Can’s: LOUD WEEKEND 2023 at Mass MoCA
Jul 29 — Katonah, NY — Caramoor Center for the Arts
Sep 14 — New York, NY — Venue TBA
Sep 19 — San Diego, CA — Epstein Family Amphitheatre
Sep 20 — Los Angeles, CA — Venue TBA
Sep 21 — San Francisco, CA — Great American Music Hall
Sep 28 — Tempe, AZ — Tempe Center for the Arts
Sept 29 — Austin, TX — Venue TBA
Sept 30 — Denver, CO — Venue TBA
Oct 4 — Gartner Auditorium at the Cleveland Museum of Art
Oct 5 — Princeton, NJ – Venue TBA
Oct 7 — Blacksburg, VA — Venue TBA
Oct 8 — Boston, MA — Institute of Contemporary Art
Oct 10 — Minneapolis, MN — The Cedar
Oct 11 — Chicago, IL — Venue TBA
Oct 12 — Iowa City, IA — Infinite Dream Festival