# Shahzad Ismaily
**Shahzad Ismaily** (born 1972) is a bassist, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and producer based in Brooklyn, New York, who works across jazz, experimental, folk, and popular music. He is known as a member of Marc Ribot's trio Ceramic Dog, as the bassist and Moog synthesist in the trio [Love in Exile](https://www.edgepedia.org/love-in-exile) with [Arooj Aftab](https://www.edgepedia.org/arooj-aftab) and Vijay Iyer, and as the founder of the Brooklyn recording studio Figure 8 and its associated label, figureight.[1](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/27/arts/music/shahzad-ismaily.html) • [2](https://jazzin.nyc/artist/shahzad-ismaily)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1972 in Philadelphia, to Pakistani immigrant parents[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/shahzad-ismaily-mn0000096312) |
| Instruments | Electric and double bass, guitar, banjo, accordion, flute, drums, analog synthesizers, drum machines; largely self-taught[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/shahzad-ismaily-mn0000096312) |
| Recording output | Played on or produced nearly 400 records since moving to New York in February 2000; no solo album released[1](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/27/arts/music/shahzad-ismaily.html) |
| Bands | Ceramic Dog (since 2006), Secret Chiefs 3, Ex Eye, Cosa Brava, Love in Exile[2](https://jazzin.nyc/artist/shahzad-ismaily) |
| Studio and label | Figure 8 Recording in Brooklyn and the figureight label[2](https://jazzin.nyc/artist/shahzad-ismaily) |
| Recognition | Two nominations at the 66th Grammy Awards (2024): *Love in Exile* for Best Alternative Jazz Album and “Shadow Forces” for Best Global Music Performance; Signature Artist at both Monheim Triennales[4](https://www.grammy.com/artists/shahzad-ismaily/54004/) • [5](https://monheim-triennale.de/en/2024/artists/shahzad-ismaily) |
## Background and early life
Ismaily was born in 1972 in Philadelphia to Pakistani immigrant parents and grew up in a wholly bicultural household.[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/shahzad-ismaily-mn0000096312) • [6](https://1beat.org/people/shahzad-ismaily/) As an infant he was diagnosed with ectodermal dysplasias, a rare genetic disorder that produces abnormalities at the body's surface, including the fingernails and teeth.[1](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/27/arts/music/shahzad-ismaily.html)
His path to music ran through science. He received an AA from [Bard College](https://www.edgepedia.org/bard-college) at Simon's Rock with the class of 1989 and then earned a master's degree in biochemistry from [Arizona State University](https://www.edgepedia.org/arizona-state-university).[7](https://simons-rock.edu/alumni/5q-shahzad-ismaily.php) • [3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/shahzad-ismaily-mn0000096312) He is largely self-taught as a musician, and he traveled widely to study the music of different cultures, including Pakistan, India, Turkey, Mexico, Japan, Indonesia, Morocco, and Iceland.[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/shahzad-ismaily-mn0000096312) • [6](https://1beat.org/people/shahzad-ismaily/)
## Career and collaborations
After playing in bands during his college years, Ismaily moved to New York City in 2000.[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/shahzad-ismaily-mn0000096312) His entry into the downtown experimental scene came through the drummer and composer Qasim Naqvi, who, in Vijay Iyer's account, met Ismaily shortly after the move and brought him into a [Burnt Sugar](https://www.edgepedia.org/burnt-sugar-band) situation, the band founded by the writer and musician Greg Tate.[8](https://grammy.com/news/arooj-aftab-vijay-iyer-shahzad-ismaily-love-in-exile-roundtable-interview)
From that base he built a session career of unusual breadth. The Monheim Triennale counts his collaborators over the past thirty years as including [Yoko Ono](https://www.edgepedia.org/yoko-ono), Bob Dylan, Laura Veirs, Beth Orton, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, [Marianne Faithfull](https://www.edgepedia.org/marianne-faithfull), Faun Fables, Maya Hawke, Feist, Aaron Dessner, Secret Chiefs 3, Sam Amidon, Laurie Anderson, Lou Reed, Arooj Aftab, and Vijay Iyer.[5](https://monheim-triennale.de/en/2024/artists/shahzad-ismaily) The OneBeat program adds [Tom Waits](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-waits), Jolie Holland, John Zorn, and Nels Cline to the list.[6](https://1beat.org/people/shahzad-ismaily/) Though he has never released a solo album, he has played on or produced nearly 400 records since moving to New York, including work by Bonnie "Prince" Billy and Yoko Ono.[1](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/27/arts/music/shahzad-ismaily.html) AllMusic gives the figure as over 400 albums.[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/shahzad-ismaily-mn0000096312)
He has also composed regularly for dance, theater, and film, including work for the dancer Min Tanaka, the Frankfurt Ballet, and East River Commedia,[6](https://1beat.org/people/shahzad-ismaily/) and for the 2008 Sundance winner *Frozen River*, an Oscar-nominated film, and the piece *Inkboat*.[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/shahzad-ismaily-mn0000096312) • [5](https://monheim-triennale.de/en/2024/artists/shahzad-ismaily)
## Bands and leadership projects
**Ceramic Dog and side bands.** Since guitarist Marc Ribot founded Ceramic Dog in 2006, Ismaily has belonged to the trio, and he has additionally performed with Secret Chiefs 3 and Cosa Brava; AllMusic credits him as a member of Ceramic Dog, Secret Chiefs Three, and Ex Eye.[2](https://jazzin.nyc/artist/shahzad-ismaily) • [3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/shahzad-ismaily-mn0000096312)
**Love in Exile.** His most prominent co-led project is the trio Love in Exile with the singer Arooj Aftab and the pianist and composer Vijay Iyer. The album *Love in Exile* was released on March 24, 2023, with tracks including "To Remain/To Return," "Eyes of the Endless," and "Sharabi"; Jazz in NYC describes it as a collectively improvised trio record.[8](https://grammy.com/news/arooj-aftab-vijay-iyer-shahzad-ismaily-love-in-exile-roundtable-interview) • [2](https://jazzin.nyc/artist/shahzad-ismaily) AllMusic's discography places the album on Verve, and the Recording Academy's record shows a 2023 release and a nomination, not a win, at the 66th ceremony.[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/shahzad-ismaily-mn0000096312) • [4](https://www.grammy.com/artists/shahzad-ismaily/54004/)
**Beings.** A new band called Beings, featuring the guitarist Steve Gunn and Ismaily, announced a debut album.[9](https://pitchfork.com/artists/shahzad-ismaily/)
## Figure 8 studio and the figureight label
Soon after arriving in New York, Ismaily opened his own studio, Figure 8 Recording, in Brooklyn, along with its associated label, figureight.[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/shahzad-ismaily-mn0000096312) • [2](https://jazzin.nyc/artist/shahzad-ismaily) The New York Times describes the studio as an affordable and inclusive hub for experimental musicians, even as Ismaily has become a marquee session player.[1](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/27/arts/music/shahzad-ismaily.html) The AllMusic discography lists a 2023 release, *Visitations*, on Figureight Records.[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/shahzad-ismaily-mn0000096312)
## Style, instruments, and critical reception
Ismaily's instrumental range is wide: electric and double bass, guitar, banjo, accordion, flute, drums, analog synthesizers, and drum machines, largely self-taught.[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/shahzad-ismaily-mn0000096312) The Monheim Triennale adds synthesizer, computer software, and percussion collected on travels to Turkey, Chile, Indonesia, and Morocco.[5](https://monheim-triennale.de/en/2024/artists/shahzad-ismaily) In the Love in Exile context he works as a bassist and Moog synthesist, and the Grammy.com roundtable describes his versatility and range in that realm as staggering.[8](https://grammy.com/news/arooj-aftab-vijay-iyer-shahzad-ismaily-love-in-exile-roundtable-interview)
Critics place him between scenes rather than inside one. The festival describes his work as blurring the boundaries between pop, experimental music, and everything in between,[5](https://monheim-triennale.de/en/2024/artists/shahzad-ismaily) and the New York Times notes that he works across genres including folk, free jazz, and Urdu-language song.[1](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/27/arts/music/shahzad-ismaily.html)
## Recognition
At the 66th Annual Grammy Awards (2024), *Love in Exile* by Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer, and Shahzad Ismaily was nominated for Best Alternative Jazz Album, and "Shadow Forces" by the same trio was nominated for Best Global Music Performance.[4](https://www.grammy.com/artists/shahzad-ismaily/54004/) Pitchfork named *Love in Exile* among "The 30 Best Jazz and Experimental Albums of 2023" and published a March 23, 2023 conversation with the three musicians under the title "A Conversation With Improvisational Geniuses."[9](https://pitchfork.com/artists/shahzad-ismaily/) The Monheim Triennale in Germany invited him as "Signature Artist" to both its first and second editions.[5](https://monheim-triennale.de/en/2024/artists/shahzad-ismaily)
## By the numbers
- Nearly 400 records played on or produced since February 2000, per the New York Times; over 400 albums per AllMusic.[1](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/27/arts/music/shahzad-ismaily.html) • [3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/shahzad-ismaily-mn0000096312)
- Roughly three decades of documented collaboration, per the Monheim Triennale's "past thirty years" framing.[5](https://monheim-triennale.de/en/2024/artists/shahzad-ismaily)
- Ceramic Dog membership since 2006.[2](https://jazzin.nyc/artist/shahzad-ismaily)
- Zero solo albums as of 2023.[1](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/27/arts/music/shahzad-ismaily.html)
- Two Grammy nominations at a single ceremony (2024).[4](https://www.grammy.com/artists/shahzad-ismaily/54004/)
## Recent work (2023–present)
The 2023 release of *Love in Exile* on Verve and its two Grammy nominations anchor his recent profile.[8](https://grammy.com/news/arooj-aftab-vijay-iyer-shahzad-ismaily-love-in-exile-roundtable-interview) • [4](https://www.grammy.com/artists/shahzad-ismaily/54004/) In 2023 his keyboards appeared on Feist's album *Multitudes*, which the Times describes as lighting "the darkened corners" of the record.[1](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/27/arts/music/shahzad-ismaily.html) The AllMusic discography lists *Visitations* on Figureight Records for 2023,[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/shahzad-ismaily-mn0000096312) and he was named Signature Artist for the second Monheim Triennale in 2024.[5](https://monheim-triennale.de/en/2024/artists/shahzad-ismaily) The band Beings with Steve Gunn announced a debut album.[9](https://pitchfork.com/artists/shahzad-ismaily/)
## References
1. [How Shahzad Ismaily Became Musicians' Favorite Musician, The New York Times (June 27, 2023)](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/27/arts/music/shahzad-ismaily.html)
2. [Shahzad Ismaily, Jazz in NYC](https://jazzin.nyc/artist/shahzad-ismaily)
3. [Shahzad Ismaily — Biography, Discography, Albums & Expert Reviews, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/shahzad-ismaily-mn0000096312)
4. [Shahzad Ismaily Grammy Awards and Nominations, Recording Academy](https://www.grammy.com/artists/shahzad-ismaily/54004/)
5. [Shahzad Ismaily, Monheim Triennale](https://monheim-triennale.de/en/2024/artists/shahzad-ismaily)
6. [Shahzad Ismaily, OneBeat](https://1beat.org/people/shahzad-ismaily/)
7. [5 Questions with Shahzad Ismaily '89, Simon's Rock](https://simons-rock.edu/alumni/5q-shahzad-ismaily.php)
8. [Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer & Shahzad Ismaily On New Album 'Love In Exile', Grammy.com](https://grammy.com/news/arooj-aftab-vijay-iyer-shahzad-ismaily-love-in-exile-roundtable-interview)
9. [Shahzad Ismaily, Pitchfork](https://pitchfork.com/artists/shahzad-ismaily/)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Jazz musicians and bandleaders › Contemporary jazz musicians*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license