Jazz guitarist Gilad Hekselman’s latest album Far Star represents a lonely labour of love brought about by necessity.
Since starting out in New York’s vast and diverse music scene, Hekselman has become a well-known presence over the last 18 years, developing his progressive jazz fusion sound into standout works. With Far Star, Hekselman delivers another progressive yet accessible album, packed with details that reveal themselves with each listen.
Hekselman has already shared the single Long Way From Home, featuring drummer Eric Harland, giving fans a taste of what’s to come. Listen here:
The conception of Far Star can be described as an accident of circumstance. Presented with unprecedented challenges brought on by the pandemic, Hekselman’s approach to making new material was a very different process from usual.
“At the start of 2020, I returned from three months with my family in Southeast Asia with piles of new music ready to be played with real people,” Hekselman explains. “Then the pandemic hit, and suddenly all I was left with for making this music come to life were my instruments, mics and computer. Like everyone else, I didn’t know how long this was going to last, so I started a folder on my computer called ‘Song Demos’ with every hope that I would soon be sending the tracks to my band when it came time to make a new record. Weeks turned into months; I watched hundreds of tutorials, took sound engineering lessons and consulted with my producer friends. After thousands of hours of work, I finished what I called Far Star.”
Due to Hekselman having to adapt his creative process, the work he produced in this period has a more adventurous sound compared to his previous albums.
“Far Star is about my ability to travel with my imagination to far sonic galaxies, all from the insides of a room. The music, worked on during a pandemic, somehow leaves me with memories of great freedom and liberation through what was clearly a very constricting time in our lives.”
Here’s the track listing:
- Long Way From Home (feat. Eric Harland)
- Fast Moving Century (feat. Shai Maestro & Eric Harland)
- I Didn’t Know
- Far Star
- Magic Chord (feat. Eric Harland)
- Cycles
- The Headrocker (feat. Nomok & Amir Bresler)
- Rebirth (feat. Ziv Ravitz)
Far Star arrives May 13, 2022, via Edition Records.
