Shahzad Ismaily


Shahzad Ismaily is an American multi-instrumentalist, known mainly as a bass guitar player, and record producer. He is a member of Marc Ribot's trio Ceramic Dog since its formation in 2006. He also plays with Secret Chiefs 3 and Cosa Brava.
He is of Pakistani origin.
In 2009, he composed music for the documentary film William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe.
In 2012, he played banjo and electric guitar while appearing in Ragnar Kjartansson's installation film The Visitors. He was invited to join the otherwise all Icelandic cast by then-partner Gyða Valtýsdóttir.
In 2019, he released the album Dreams of Sleep and Wakes of Sound in collaboration with Laraaji and Merz.
He is featured in the 2021 Bob Dylan concert film Shadow Kingdom: The Early Songs of Bob Dylan.
His 2023 album Love in Exile, made in collaboration with Arooj Aftab and Vijay Iyer, was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Jazz Album. He also contributed to Aftab's albums Vulture Prince and Night Reign, released in 2021 and 2024 respectively.
As a producer, he worked with Jolie Holland on her 2008 album The Living and the Dead. He also produced one song from The Following Mountain by Sam Amidon. In 2022, he produced several songs from Cass McCombs's Heartmind album.

Discography (partial)

Shahzad Ismaily has played on almost 400 records.
With Arooj Aftab and Vijay IyerLove in Exile
With Arooj AftabVulture Prince Night Reign
With Jolie HollandThe Living and the Dead
With Mike DoughtyHaughty Melodic
With Ceramic DogParty Intellectuals Your Turn YRU Still Here? What I Did on My Long Vacation Hope Connection
With Secret Chiefs 3Book of Horizons Xaphan: Book of Angels Volume 9 Le Mani Destre Recise Degli Ultimi Uomini Satellite Supersonic Vol. 1 Book of Souls: Folio A Perichoresis
With Cosa BravaThe Letter Z Sides
With Yasmine HamdanAl Jamilat
With Corin CurschellasGrischunit
With Susanna WallumrødWild Dog
With Laura VeirsFound Light
With Cass McCombsHeartmind
With Josephine FosterFaithful Fairy Harmony
With Moses SumneyGræ
With the Plastic Ono BandBetween My Head and the Sky Take Me to the Land of Hell
With Sam AmidonI See the Sign Bright Sunny South Lily-O The Following Mountain
With Ólöf ArnaldsInnundir skinni
With Sean HayesFlowering Spade
With Aram BajakianThere Were Flowers Also in Hell
With Death in VegasTrans-Love Energies
With Bonnie "Prince" BillyLie Down in the Light The Wonder Show of the World Wolfroy Goes to Town
With Eyvind KangThe Yelm Sessions Alastor: Book of Angels Volume 21
With Owen PallettA Swedish Love Story EP
With FeistMultitudes
With Laurie AndersonHomeland
With Nick MulveyFirst Mind
With TomberlinI Don't Know Who Needs to Hear This...
With Anna von HausswolffDead Magic
With Damien RiceMy Favourite Faded Fantasy
With Maya HawkeChaos Angel
With Cassandra Jenkins