Gilad Hekselman. (photo credit:Courtesy)
Gilad Hekselman has come of age. While that may sound a mite condescending, or even presumptuous – depending on whether you still consider the Israeli guitarist a youngster or a seasoned professional at the age of 32 – his latest release, Homes, exudes a sense of maturity, on both a personal and musical level.
Hekselman is no newcomer to the scene. He has been a resident of New York for over a decade and, besides mixing it up with the best of them on stage and in the recording studio, and performing at festivals and venues across the world, he has not stinted on his own output either. Homes is his fifth album in a matter of just nine years. That’s pretty good going by any standard. The heartening thing is that Hekselman is not just into maintaining a high market profile.
Judging by his performance on Homes, he also actually has something of value to say.
His brothers in creative arms on the record are bassist Joe Martin, with Marcus Gilmore featuring on all but one of the tracks (“Last Train Home”) on drums. Seasoned fellow instrumentalist Jeff Ballard is behind the set on that one, with both drummers in action on “Cosmic Patience” and “Keedee.”
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Hekselman clearly does not tend toward the “falafel jazz” approach. There is a tendency among some – albeit highly talented – Israeli jazz artists to settle firmly into a pretty groove mode without offering too much in the way of creative endeavor. While there is some gorgeous ornamentation and some mellifluous lines on Homes – such as the delectable “Home E-Minor” solo acoustic guitar vignette – the album is shot through with intriguing departures.There is judicious utilization of sound manipulation, with Hekselman embracing a wide swath of textures of colors, even dipping into the odd splash of distortion, while his sidemen keep the ship steadily on course. “Cosmic Patience,” the longest cut on the album, has an ethereal side to it which fuses naturally with the tender substratum.
Eight of the dozen tracks are originals, with the others including Bud Powell’s mid-1950s bebop gem “Parisian Thoroughfare,” and “Samba Em Preludio” by Brazilian guitarist Baden Powell. The latter, along with many other Latin numbers, was Hebraized in the 1980s, recorded by Matti Caspi and renamed “Samba for Two.” Hekselman’s street level-earned maturity shines through here again, and if he does reel off the odd slice of headline-grabbing finesse it is devoid of gratuitous showmanship.
Increasingly over the past decade or so, Israeli jazz musicians have tended to dip into the Israeli Songbook for inspiration.
Homes features just one locally manufactured number – Caspi’s “Dove Song.” Typically, Hekselman takes a relaxed approach to the theme, conveying the melody and the spirit of the song in an impressively understated but nonetheless convincing manner.
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