ITAMAR BOROCHOV (IL)

Raised in the cosmopolitan port city of Jaffa, now a significant presence on the international jazz scene, Borochov is creating a new musical hybrid - bringing the sacred sounds of his upbringing to a jazz quartet setting.

His latest release Blue Nights (Laborie Jazz 2019) is a nine-track multi-cultural joyride of enchanting lyricism, exotic motifs, anthemic builds and virtuosic expression. 

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, including the Mizrahi and Ashkenazi musical flavors that are his birthright. 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 incorporated organically into 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 addition to recording three albums as a leader, Borochov also appears on three albums with Yemen Blues, of which he was a founding member, arranger and co-producer. 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, Montreal Jazz Festival, Ottawa Jazz Festival, London Jazz Festival, Moscow Jazz Festival, Tel Aviv Jazz Festival, Red Sea Jazz Festival, Jazz à Liège & Shanghai World Music Festival. The Itamar Borochov Quartet was chosen to showcase at WOMEX 2019 in Tampere, Finland.

In January 2021 Borochov recorded a new work composed especially for him by Shanan Estreicher - ‘All You Shining Stars’ for improvised trumpet and string septet, which premiered online on February 13th.  He is currently working on a commission for Brazos Valley Symphony, Texas for jazz quartet and string orchestra, which will be performed later in 2021.

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

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