Jun 3, 2025 11:25 AM
In Memoriam: Al Foster, 1943–2025
Al Foster, a drummer regarded for his fluency across the bebop, post-bop and funk/fusion lineages of jazz, died May 28…
Gilad Hekselman’s forthcoming Ask For Chaos finds the guitarist performing in a pair of separate trios across the album’s 10 tracks.
(Photo: Josh Goleman)Guitarist Gilad Hekselman is set to issue a new disc, Ask For Chaos, his sixth leader date on Sept. 7 through his own Hexophonic Music imprint in cooperation with Motéma Music.
The album’s split between performances by two separate trios supporting the guitarist: gHex Trio (bassist Rick Rosato and drummer Jonathan Pinson) and ZuperOctave (keyboardist Aaron Parks and drummer Kush Abadey), the latter performing on “VBlues.” Portions of the pending release with ZuperOctave hedge a bit closer to fusion territory than Hekselman’s previous work, but tastefully so, meting out the overtly processed gestures to break up offerings by the more tradition-focused trio.
“‘VBlues’ is a tune I wrote dedicated to Victor Baker, the luthier who built my guitar,” Hekselman said. “I was in his shop while he was fixing mine up and this melody, pretty much in it’s entirety, came to my head. So, I recorded it and went home to write it down. I love this take—it’s the same one that made it to the album. It’s interesting to me, and it has happened to me before, that sometimes the best takes are the ones we do when the camera crew is there. I guess we do better playing for an audience, even if it’s just two or three people. Aaron and Kush really capture here what I had in mind for this band. On one hand, an electronic heavy sound; on the other, playing in the moment with attention to detail and to what chaos has to offer.”
For additional information about the album, visit the Motéma website. DB
Foster was truly a drummer to the stars, including Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins and Joe Henderson.
Jun 3, 2025 11:25 AM
Al Foster, a drummer regarded for his fluency across the bebop, post-bop and funk/fusion lineages of jazz, died May 28…
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