The following is an interview between jazz journalist Morgan Enos and Israel-born, New York-based guitarist/composer Gilad Hekselman. His new album with bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Marcus Gilmore, Downhill From Here, was released 25 April via La Reserve Records. Links to purchase the album, and to Hekselman’s website, can be found at the end of this article.
On his new trio album, Downhill From Here, guitarist Gilad Hekselman keeps his longest-running creative partner close while opening the door to a new heavyweight voice.
Drummer Marcus Gilmore, first heard alongside Hekselman on Words Unspoken (2008) and a near-constant ally ever since, returns to provide the kinetic spark that the guitarist says “feels the most like home.” Joining them for the first time is bassist Larry Grenadier, the lyrical anchor of Brad Mehldau’s trail-blazing trio, co-founder of the collective FLY, and an ECM solo artist in his own right.
Together, the three carve out a space where longtime chemistry meets first-take discovery. This commensurately applies to originals like Hekselman’s gently rolling ‘Navand’ and needling ‘Scovill’, as well as Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s ‘Alfie’ and Nachum Heiman’s ‘Like a Wildflower’, an Israeli folk song popularized by Chavqa Alberstein.
Below is the full interview with Hekselman.
UK Jazz News: You have an extensive history with Marcus Gilmore. What’s at the heart of that history, the essence of your creative bond?
Gilad Hekselman: We know each other so well, and we have such an understanding of each other. I love a lot of drummers, but in terms of ease of playing together, he’s the one who feels the most like home.
Aesthetically, he’s just him, which is already incredible because he’s bringing something so unique and so anchored. But the other aspect of it is just the history and how well we know each other. We’ve known each other for a long, long time. He’s my brother. It’s the funnest situation to play with him. There’s nothing I ever have to worry about with Marcus. It’s always going to be better than what I could have imagined.
UKJN: Obviously, Larry Grenadier commands such an amazing catalogue, and has such a singular voice. In press materials, you said working with Larry was “a dream I’ve had for years, and it’s come true.”
GH: It’s a dream in the sense that growing up, he was one of my bass idols. When I first heard the trio with [pianist] Brad [Mehldau], I was probably 15 or 16. I heard that record ‘Song-Song’ [from 1998’s Songs: The Art of the Trio Volume Three], and then I heard him live at a festival in Israel. It was really a life-changing moment to hear that band. Of course, that’s thanks to Brad’s unique and ritualistic approach, but also, Larry was and is such a force in that trio.
UKJN: Was there any specific shift in your compositional approach for Downhill From Here?
GH: I hate to say it, but it’s basically what I’ve been doing for the last 25 years or something. I’m still trying to write songs that have strong melodies, that are moving, at least for me, and tell an honest story for the moment that I write them in. At the same time, I try to balance pieces that push the envelope – that are not obviously generic, or a repetition of what already happened – with ones you can walk away from with a melody in your head.
UKJN: There’s always subtle evolution, of course. Even just by virtue of still doing the thing.
GH: After playing guitar for many years – in my case, I think 33 – your development slows down. From when I was younger, for sure. It’s not the same fast evolution, but it’s still a real attempt to evolve. At this point in my life, all I can ask is that I want to evolve at whatever pace I’m able to. This album is hopefully better than the one before it, and the next one is going to be better than this one. That’s my goal, and I’m working at it.
UKJN: Did you write specifically with Larry in mind?
GH: For some of the stuff, like the song ‘Navanad’. It kind of felt like one of those Brad-y songs, and I imagined Larry’s bass solo there. In the studio, Larry was like, “Oh, man, what if you just did a guitar solo?” He was trying to stay economical while recording, not having super long tracks on the record. Sometimes, when you go into the studio, you don’t have it be the live version, but a more condensed version of the music.
So, he was like, “Maybe I shouldn’t take a solo on this.” And Marcus and I looked at him like, What? This is the quintessential moment for Larry Grenadier to take a solo.
UKJN: How was the vibe of the session?
GH: One very easy, relaxed day. We had James Farber record it. You’re probably familiar with him, but he’s a legendary sound engineer who actually recorded all of those old Brad Mehldau records. The experience was just so busy. We trust him so much with the sound that we got the tones he thought were right, then just recorded.
I got so much material out of that session. In fact, I think I got five songs that I had just decided to not include on the record, because I didn’t want to make too long of a record. I enjoy shorter records, usually.
UKJN: For fellow musicians who might be reading this: any twists in your setup or gear on this album?
GH: Actually, in a way yes, because I think this was the first of my own records that I recorded using mostly a multi-effects pedal called the [Line 6] HX Stomp.
I used to have a big old heavy pedal board that I would schlep around the world, and break my back and fight with security at the airport and stuff like that. Not fight with them – I’m not trying to get arrested – but having them stop me and check me, break it apart, all this stuff. Then, one cable goes bad, and you have to figure out which one it is.
So, I switched from that to an HX Stomp. I still use a few singular pedals, but generally speaking, most of my sound comes out of that. That was a big change for me in terms of my setup. I have an Italian-built guitar that I really love called the Moffa, and I used a Baron guitar for the first time on a couple of tracks.
Otherwise, I’m using an amp for recording that I’ve used for the last few years: a Pure Tone, a really well-built old tube amp built by an engineering genius over in Greece called Michalis [Serpetsidakis].
UKJN: What does the rest of the spring look like for you? How about the remainder of 2025?
GH: There’s some stuff coming up as a sideman. I’m doing something in the Midwest as a sideman with a local band, and then I’m doing a few local gigs and playing at Smalls in May for a couple of nights with Bill Stewart on drums. I’m playing with Ben Wendel in July at the Village Vanguard, and Trio Grande will be doing some touring. That’s a collective with [drummer and multi-instrumentalist] Nate Wood and [alto saxophonist] Will Vinson.
I’m trying to think off the top of my head if I have something in the UK coming up. I was just there, like, twice in a row, but I don’t off the top of my head. We’re working on something for next year with my own thing, so maybe we’ll get there then.
