Gilad Hekselman: Far Star
Edition Records

Some measure of sleight-of-hand would seem to have been involved in the creation of Far Star, the debut album on Edition from Israeli-born, New York-based guitarist Gilad Hekselman. At the start of 2020, he'd written new material ready to be performed with real people, but when the pandemic negated the possibility of assembling with others, he set about developing the tracks himself using home gear, the idea being that they'd be shared with his band when the time came to record. But as weeks passed without any hope of gathering in sight, Hekselman completed a large share of the material by himself, with a contributor such as Ziv Ravitz, for example, recording his drumming at his home studio in France. To the guitarist's credit, no one would mistake the results for anything but real-time performances with the musicians together in the studio. All the spontaneity associated with live takes is present, even if it's to some degree a simulation.

Stylistically, the tracks range between progressive, at times rock-influenced jazz and less aggressive settings. In addition to Ravitz, the album features keyboardist Shai Maestro, bassist Oren Hardy, drummer Eric Harland, drummer/percussionist Alon Benjamini, and Nathan Schram on viola and violin. Hekselman's credited with guitars, keys, percussion, whistling, and voice, while Amir Bresler and Nomok receive nods on one track for co-production and for Bresler drums and percussion and Nomok keys. Hekselman's voice as a composer and sound designer is undeniably distinctive, his expansive vision attributable in part perhaps to having roots in two different countries. The world the native Israeli inhabited before moving to NYC in 2004 can't help but remain an indelible part of his music.

Far Star gets its hooks in early when “Long Way From Home” opens with a rousing theme delivered in an ear-tickling whistle before Harland's infectious pulse gallops into position and Hekselman's guitar re-voices the motive. The man's jazz chops get a terrific workout as the track hurtles forth and the energy level intensifies. The fury with which Harland powers the material is a thing of beauty, and the ferocity of the leader's response is spectacular too. Maestro then joins the two for “Fast Moving Century,” a fusion-styled construction (think late Return To Forever) that ventures down unexpected pathways yet still makes room for a steamy guitar solo.

Less feverish by comparison are “I Didn't Know,” which sees Hekselman embroidering its folk-inflected charm with layers of acoustic and steel guitars, and the title track, a swoon-inducing, samba-tinged reverie where guitar shimmer's bolstered by Schram's strings and Benjamini's cymbal washes (the synth solo by Hekselman that emerges halfway through could easily pass for a Lyle Mays tribute). Soothing too is “Cycles,” which finds Hekselman waxing nostalgic in a guitar-centred display. Elsewhere, the progressive jazz-rock vibe re-emerges for “Magic Chord,” a heavy, slightly blues-inflected workout elevated by Harland's invention. A relaxed, funkier side comes to the fore for “The Headrocker,” the track featuring Nomok and Bresler.

June 2022