Itamar Borochov

One of the most prominent and unique trumpeters of his generation, Itamar Borochov brings his deep and ever-expanding love for the jazz tradition to the sacred sounds of his upbringing. Raised in the cosmopolitan port city of Jaffa, now resident in New York, Borochov is creating a new musical hybrid from the broad palette of influences of his rich global landscape.

Arba - Borochov's fourth album as leader, was recorded in 2022 with his quartet of in-demand New York musicians and Grammy award-winning producer Matt Pierson, and is due for release on 8th September 2023 on Greenleaf Music. The nine original compositions celebrate an emergence from a time of hopelessness and loss to a recognition of faith in the radiant life-force. Borochov performs on a custom-made Monette 4-valve quarter-tone trumpet which he uses to incorporate Maqams into his playing (the middle-eastern microtonal modes that are the musical language of his traditional upbringing).

Borochov first heard Sephardic music in his local synagogue and absorbed these‘maqams’ (modes) of the greater Middle East and North Africa alongside a range of other musical influences. He began playing trumpet at the age of eleven and immersed himself in the discovery of jazz, inspired by the jazz trumpet lineage of Louis Armstrong, Clark Terry, Miles Davis, Kenny Dorham, Lee Morgan, and Booker Little through to Wynton Marsalis, and citing the influence of Ben Webster for his assured yet wistful warm airy tone. In 2007 Borochov relocated to New York to study at the New School and attend Barry Harris’s weekly workshops. 

​His deep knowledge of these various musical disciplines is expressed organically in his original jazz writing, building a bridge between the near-East and the modal styles of Miles Davis, John Coltrane and others.  

“This synergetic quest is accomplished with great integrity, demonstrating in-depth knowledge only possible from one who has experienced these traditions firsthand.” – Jazz Magazine

In 2021 Borochov was commissioned by Brazos Valley Symphony, Texas to compose a suite for jazz quartet and string orchestra - 'Emergence', which he first performed with the orchestra in June 2021. He also recorded a new work composed especially for him by Shanan Estreicher - ‘All You Shining Stars’ for improvised trumpet and string septet, which was released digitally in May 2023 on Composers Concordance.  In addition to recording four albums as a leader, Borochov also appears on four albums with Yemen Blues, of which he was a founding member, arranger and co-producer. 

Borochov won the prestigious 2020 'Rising Stars' Jazz Award European edition, which was presented to him in February 2021 by vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater.

He has toured across four continents and performed at prestigious venues such as Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, SummerStage at Central Park, Blue Note NY, Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, Bimhuis, Flagey and international festivals including Roskilde, Vitoria, Lviv, Montreal & Ottawa Jazz Festivals, London Jazz Festival, Moscow Jazz Festival, Tel Aviv & Red Sea Jazz Festivals, Jazz à Liège & Shanghai World Music Festival. The Itamar Borochov Quartet was chosen to showcase at WOMEX 2019 in Tampere, Finland.

Awards

2020 LetterOne 'Rising Stars' Jazz Award European edition