Gilad Hekselman

Born in Kfar Saba, Israel, in 1983, Gilad Hekselman moved to New York in 2004 after beginning his musical training in his home country and then continuing his studies at The New School. As a guitarist and composer, Hekselman has developed a language rooted in contemporary jazz and post-bop, with a marked taste for clear melodic lines, shifting harmonies and atmospheres that admit colors from indie rock, folk and more ethereal textures. His work often unfolds in a trio—a central format in his career—while also circulating in larger configurations on the New York scene. Albums such as SplitLife (2006), Words Unspoken (2008), Hearts Wide Open (2011), This Just In (2013), Homes (2015), Ask for Chaos (2018) and Far Star (2022) trace Hekselman’s evolution between structured writing and a significant place left to improvisation. Present in New York clubs as well as on festival stages, Gilad Hekselman builds a fluid, precise and highly articulated approach to playing, where the clarity of phrasing remains at the heart of his aesthetic.