Gilad Hekselman

On April 23, 2026, at the Sunset Sunside, Gilad Hekselman unfolds his world as a guitarist and composer shaped between Israel and New York. Born in Kfar Saba in 1983 and based in Manhattan since 2004 after a stint at the New School, he has refined a musical language rooted in contemporary jazz and post-bop. His playing favors clear melodic lines, shifting harmonies and open moods that welcome hues from indie rock, folk and more ethereal textures.

On stage, Hekselman works within precise structures that leave room for improvisation—an equilibrium he has cultivated since his beginnings, often in compact ensembles. That thread runs through a steady discography, from SplitLife and Words Unspoken to Hearts Wide Open, This Just In, Homes, Ask for Chaos and Far Star. In Paris, he condenses these trajectories into a set where the clarity of phrasing and the articulation of sound guide every chorus, between original compositions and freer interludes.