Gilad Hekselman

Gilad Hekselman, an Israeli-born jazz guitarist drawn to intricate post-bop forms, surfaced on the New York jazz circuit in the mid-2000s. His résumé includes significant collaborations with Anat Cohen, Ari Hoenig, and Mark Turner, and he has issued his own acclaimed recordings, among them Splitlife in 2006 and Homes in 2015.

Hekselman entered the world in Israel in 1983. He commenced formal training on classical piano at age six before switching to guitar at nine. Between the ages of twelve and fourteen, the skilled player served in the house band of a weekly children’s television program. During his teenage years he continued sharpening his craft at the Thelma Yellin School of Arts, where he earned the America-Israel Cultural Foundation Scholarship for study abroad. The award took him to New York’s The New School, from which he received his B.F.A. in performing arts in 2008.

Still a student, he drew notice by winning the 2005 Gibson Montreux International Guitar Competition. His debut album, Splitlife, followed in 2006 and featured bassist Joe Martin with drummer Ari Hoenig. Two years later came Words Unspoken, again with Martin, plus drummer Marcus Gilmore and tenor saxophonist Joel Frahm. Outside his own projects, Hekselman has worked with an array of leading musicians that includes Anat Cohen, Esperanza Spalding, Chris Potter, and Kurt Rosenwinkel.

He teamed repeatedly with saxophonist Mark Turner on Hearts Wide Open in 2010 and This Just In in 2013. Homes, released in 2015, presented the guitarist with his longstanding trio of Martin and Gilmore, augmented by drummer Jeff Ballard on two tracks. Named a Rising Star by Down Beat magazine in 2017, Hekselman issued his sixth studio album, Ask for Chaos, the following year. The record spotlighted his two active bands: ZuperOctave, comprising pianist Aaron Parks and drummer Kush Abadey, and the gHex Trio, with bassist Rick Rosato and drummer Jonathan Pinson.