Gilad Hekselman
Electric Guitar
43 age
February 3, 1983 Birthday
Kfar Saba, Israel Birthplace
www.giladhekselman.com Website
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About
Gilad Hekselman is an Israeli-born jazz guitarist based in New York, recognized as one of the leading voices of his generation on the instrument. After winning the 2005 Gibson Montreux International Guitar Competition, he released his debut album Splitlife and quickly established himself on the city's jazz scene. He has released ten albums as a leader, collaborating with musicians including Mark Turner, Chris Potter, Eric Harland, Esperanza Spalding, Anat Cohen, and Ari Hoenig. His 2018 album Ask for Chaos introduced ZuperOctave, a bass-less trio with pianist Aaron Parks exploring electronic textures alongside acoustic jazz. His pandemic-era album Far Star showcased his skills as a multi-instrumentalist and producer, featuring him on keyboards, bass, and percussion. His 2025 live recording Downhill From Here, with Larry Grenadier and Marcus Gilmore at the Village Vanguard, received 4.5 stars from DownBeat.
Trivia
Hekselman switched from classical piano to guitar at age nine after a neighbor complained about his drumming. Between ages twelve and fourteen, he was a member of the house band for a weekly Israeli children's television show. He was twice named Rising Star–Guitar in the DownBeat Critics Poll, in 2017 and 2022. In 2018, Pat Metheny personally invited him to perform at the Kennedy Center for Metheny's NEA Jazz Masters Award ceremony. He has cited jazz pianists rather than guitarists as his primary influences.
Early Life
Gilad Hekselman was born on February 3, 1983, in Kfar Saba, Israel, a suburban city near Tel Aviv. He began classical piano at age six, switched to guitar at nine, and was initially drawn to progressive rock and fusion, inspired by Steve Vai and Joe Satriani. He discovered jazz at the Thelma Yellin School of Arts in Tel Aviv, where he graduated with excellence at eighteen. After three years of performing in Israel, he received the America-Israel Cultural Foundation Scholarship in 2004 and moved to New York to attend The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music. While still a student, he won the 2005 Gibson Montreux International Guitar Competition and opened for Paco de Lucía at the Montreux Jazz Festival the following year. He graduated with a BFA in 2008, by which time he was well established in the New York jazz scene.
Gilad Hekselman Solos
2018
Electric Guitar solo - Bessie's Blues - 2018
4/4 swing in F major at 263 BPM
2015
Electric Guitar solo - Boplicity - 2015
4/4 swing in D♭ major at 116 BPM
Electric Guitar solo - In Walked Bud - 2015
4/4 swing in A♭ major at 89 BPM