Biography
Shahzad Ismaily
Biography
Shahzad Ismaily was born to Pakistani immigrant parents and grew up in a wholly bicultural household. While he holds a masters degree in biochemistry from Arizona State University, he is a largely self-taught composer and musician, having mastered the electric and double bass, guitar, banjo, accordion, flute, drums, various percussion instruments and various analog synthesizers and drum machines. Ismaily has recorded or performed with an incredibly diverse assemblage of musicians, including Laurie Anderson and Lou Reed, Tom Waits, Jolie Holland, Laura Veirs, Bonnie Prince Billy, Faun Fables, Secret Chiefs 3, John Zorn, Elysian Fields, Shelley Hirsch, Niobe, Will Oldham, Nels Cline, Mike Doughty (of Soul Coughing), Graham Haynes, David Krakauer, Billy Martin (of Medeski Martin and Wood), Carla Kihlstedt’s Two Foot Yard, the Tin Hat Trio, Raz Mesinai and Burnt Sugar. He has also composed regularly for dance and theater, including for Min Tanaka, the Frankfurt Ballet and the East River Commedia. Recently he composed the score for the critically acclaimed movie Frozen River, which won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. He was also an Artist in Residence at the Headlands Center for the Arts in San Francisco, CA in 2008. Currently based in New York , Ismaily has studied music extensively in Pakistan, India, Turkey, Mexico, Santiago, Japan, Indonesia, Morocco and Iceland.
Collaborations, Performances & Discograpy
Musicians With Whom I Have Collaborated:
In Concert & Touring:
John Zorn April 2003, June 2005
Graham Haynes June 2003, June 2004
Laurie Anderson April 2007
Tom Waits August 2006
David Krakauer April through September 2002
Jojo Mayer August 2001 through June 2002
Ted Reichman April through October 2002
Skerik April 2005, August 2006
Calvin Weston Junior April 2005, August 2006, January 2007
Billy Martin (of Medeski Martin and Wood) April 2003,
Min Xiao Fen June 2005
Susie Ibarra April 2003
Elysian Fields
Amir Ziv
Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog
Doveman
Carla Bozulich's Evangelista
Indigo Street/Partyface
White Magic
Faun Fables
Raz Mesinai
Eyvind Kang
Secret Chiefs 3
Zeena Parkins
Pure Horsehair
Carla Kihlstedt's Two Foot Yard
Tin Hat Trio
Nels Cline (of Wilco)
Sam Amidon
Mike Doughty (of Soul Coughing)
Shelley Hirsch
Barbez
Pamelia Kurstin
Guillermo Brown
Morgan Michael Craft
DJ Mutamassik
Burnt Sugar
Maya Dunietz
Sean Hayes
Lumatic
101 Crustaceans
Jon Brion
Vienna Teng
David Berkeley
Laura Veirs, european tour Feb 2006
Skuli Sverrson
Kira Kira
Hillmar Jennson
Jim Black
Cyro Baptista
Kato Hideki
Mark Growden
Joel Ryan
Myles Boisen
Book of Knots
Charming Hostess
TheNightPorter
On Recordings (*include compositions by Shahzad Ismaily):
*Jojo Mayer
-Nerve (2001)
*Asaf Roth
-One Whole Half Step (2001)
*Raz Mesinai
-Soldier of Midian (2001)
-Clones and False Prophets (2003)
-Safe (2006)
*Shahzad Ismaily and Carla Kihlstedt
-Flying Low (2002)
Eyvind Kang
-Petrified Wood (with Kato Hideki) (2002)
-Live Low to the Earth in the Iron Age (2004)
*David Krakauer
-Klezmer Madness (2003)
*Matt Chamberlin
-Sinister Kitchen (2003)
*Carla Kihlstedt's Two Foot Yard
-Two Foot Yard (2003) on Tzadik Records
-upcoming 2008 release
*Burnt Sugar
-The Rites (2003)
-If You Can't Dazzle Them With Your Brilliance (2005)
*Amir Ziv
-Droid (2004)
*Guillermo Brown
-Soul in the Hands of the Machine (2004)
*Secret Chiefs 3
-Book of Horizons (2004)
-Path of Most Resistance (2007)
-Ur (2007)
-Electromagnetic Azoth (2008 release)
-Ishraqqiyun (2008 release)
*Pure Horsehair
-Canico C (2004)
-Lost Songs 2005
-Aubade (2006)
Fay Ray (a Japanese pop star)
-Covers (2005)
-Hikari to Kage (2006)
*Skerik, Calvin Weston Jr.
-Inner Mounting Flame Orchestra (2005)
*Barbez
-Insignificance (2005)
Sean Lennon
-Covers (Fay Ray) (2005)
Mike Doughty (of Soul Coughing)
-Haughty Melodic (2005)
*Transdub Massiv featuring Michelle N'Degeocello
-Negril to Kingston City (2006)
*Billy Martin (of MMW), Calvin Weston Jr.
-Socket (2006)
*Cyro Baptista, Shelley Hirsch, Min Xiao Fen
-Socket II (2006)
*Carla Bozulich
-Evangelista (2006)
*White Magic
-Dat Rosa Mel Apibus (2006)
*Sam Amidon
-That This Chicken Proved Falsehearted (2006)
*Elysian Fields
-Bum Raps and Love Taps (2006)
*Lumatic
-Swimming to the Hook (2007)
*Haale
-Morning (2007)
-Paratrooper (2007)
*Wendy Blackstone
-Soundtracks (2007)
*Sean Hayes (composed, recorded and performed with)
-Flowering Spade (2007)
*Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog
-Live at Tourcoing EP (2007)
*Graham Haynes, Leon Gruenbaum
-Full Circle upcoming release summer 2007
*Doveman
-upcoming 2007 release
*Peter Scherer, Corin Curschellas
-upcoming 2008 release
*Niobe
-upcoming 2008 release
*Ceramic Dog
-upcoming 2008 release
Will Oldham
-upcoming 2008 release
*Two Foot Yard
-upcoming 2008 release
Love is Laughter
-upcoming 2008 release
Lumatic
-upcoming 2008 release
*Dave Deporis
-upcoming 2008 release
*Jolie Holland
-upcoming 2008 release on Anti records
John Zorn
-upcoming 2008 release with Secret Chiefs 3
*Laurie Anderson, Lou Reed, Mark Degli Antoni
-upcoming 2008 release for Nonesuch records
Dancers/Dance Companies with whom I have collaborated (composition by Shahzad Ismaily unless otherwise noted):
Jo Kreiter at Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco, November 2001
-a modern dance company focusing on aerial choreography
-co-scored with Carla Kihlstedt
Vetes at DTW in New York City January, February 2002
-i was a founder and the composer for all work by this Butoh dance troupe
Min Tanaka/Tokason at PLAN B in Tokyo, Japan, August 2002
-extremely famous and well developed Butoh company led by Min San
Frankfurt Ballet at Muziektheater in Amsterdam, Holland, June 2003
-co-scored with Joel Ryan
Nathan Fuhr at Bimhuis in Amsterdam, Holland, April 2004
-conceptual movement art
Resonant Wave at the Spannwerk in East Berlin, Germany, June and July 2004
-choreography inspired by indigenous Zulu traditions
-involved a month of development in residence at Schloss Broellin, a castle in East Germany
Ximena Garnica at The Cave in Brooklyn, NY, May 2005
-a venue known for its experimental dance programming
-I am regularly asked to collaborate with dancers in residence
Yael Karavan at Sapporo Art Park in Hokkaido, Japan, June 2005
-an ensemble collaboration for a site specific modern dance piece
-involved a one month writing residency in Sapporo, Japan
-was performed live in response to an installed sculpture by Israeli artist, Dani Karavan
Shinichi Momo Koga at The Cave in Brooklyn, NYC, February and July 2006
-improvised Butoh duos
Tadashi Endo at Gottingen City Hall in Gottingen, Germany, March 2007
-impovised Butoh duos
Theatre Companies/Text Artists (compositions by Shahzad Ismaily unless otherwise noted):
Rafael Oses at The Stone in New York City, May 2005
-was a member of the ensemble performance of his radio dramas
Shelley Hirsch at The Eldridge Street Project in New York City, October 2006
-performed an improvised score to her 'History of a Jewish Wine Cellar'
Dr. Jenni Quilter in Polizzi Generosa, Sicily, January 2007
-an hour long score to be listened to while reading her novella 'Carol'
Borges' Imaginary Beings at The Alverno Arts Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, March 2007
-composed and performed this piece in collaboration with six other musicians in residence
East River Commedia in New York City, Summer 2007
-I am an acting composer in residence with this theatre company
- currently working on a score for a piece in development for their summer program
Teaching Experience:
Mill's College (Oakland, California, artist in residence) September 2003
-I was asked to give a workshop in experimental percussion techniques
-the class size was 35 students, all at the university age level
Steim Institute (Amsterdam, Holland, artist in residence) June 2003
-I was asked to teach a two week seminar on the use of electronic textures in composition
-the class size was 30 students, ranging in age from 18-35
Clarice Smith Center for the Performing Arts (Baltimore, Maryland, artist in residence) September 2005
-I was asked to give a two day laboratory on modern composition
-the class size was 8, the students were all university age
Kohler Arts Center (Kohler, Wisconsin, artist in residence) March 2006
-I was asked to give a three day workshop on aesthetics and the writing process
-the class size was 90 students, all at the high school level
SUNY Oswego (Oswego, New York, artist in residence) March 2006
-I was asked to teach several classes on the techniques of orchestration over a 2 week period
-the class sizes ranged from 15 to 35, all the university students were music majors
Walker Center for the Performing Arts (Minneapolis, Minnesota Artist in Residence) March 2006
-I was asked to teach a three day workshop on collaborative composition
-the class size was 60 students, all university age and with a music focused degree
Flynn Center (Burlington, Vermont, artist in residence) March 2006
-I was asked to give a one day intensive workshop on contrapuntal harmony
-the class size was 3, all the students were university level musicians
South Bank Centre (UK, artist in residence with the London Sinfonietta) November 2006
-I was asked to teach a week long workshop on improvisation techniques to members of the Sinfonietta
-the class size was 8 students, all professional classical musicians
Musical Studies, Research & Collaborations Abroad:
Pakistan/India/Turkey December 2000, January and February 2001
-I spent a winter traveling through these three countries, mostly
to learn more about my heritage, but I ended up staying in all three
countries for over a month to study Mrdingam (a double headed south indian drum),
Veena (the south indian sitar), and the theoretical basis of Arabic Maqams (scales)
Guadalajara, Mexico, June through August 2001
-I studied Mexican marimba music for two weeks with a local ensemble
Santiago, Chile, June and July 2002
-I composed the full score for a the primary choreography of the summer season
for the dance company
Honmura, Japan, August 2002
-I was invited to work on an improvised duet with the esteemed Butoh dancer Min Tanaka
-during this one month summer period I lived with him and we did intense farm work during the day and collaborated in the evenings
-this resulted in an eventual performance at Plan B in Tokyo
Amsterdam, Holland, June 2003
-I was asked to teach a two week seminar on the use of electronics in composition
-meanwhile I studied the same, primarily in the form of the software LiSa
Ubud, Bali, July and August 2003
-I went for a summer to study Gamelan with Pa'k Subandi
-in addition to studying traditional repertoire we collectively composed hybrid music that was performed at the Bali Arts Festival one of Bali's most esteemed and important cultural outlet
Kser El Kebir, Morocco January 2004
-I performed with Bachir Attar and the Master Musicians of Jajouka
-during this time I studied the sintir and the gimbri with the Gnawa master
Abdelkebbir Cheb
Hokkaido, Japan, June 2005
-collaborated on a site specific piece in Sapporo Japan
-involved a one month writing residency
-was performed live in response to an installed sculpture by Israeli artist, Dani Karavan
Sigulsfjordur, Iceland, June 2006
-I was asked to perform in a folk festival in Iceland, where I then studied the langspil (the
Icelandic version of the dulcimer) with Hans Johannson