Itamar Borochov, a trumpeter born in Israel, distinguishes himself as an inventive improviser whose jazz spans broad harmonic and stylistic terrain, reflecting his deep affinity for Sephardic Jewish traditions, Arabic maqam, and modal post-bop. After settling in New York in 2007, he earned wider attention via his 2014 quartet release Outset and the 2016 follow-up Boomerang. Those same influences informed the atmospheric Blue Nights in 2019 and Arba in 2023.
Born in Jaffa, Israel, Borochov was raised in an artistic household as the son of musician Yisrael Borochov and the brother of bassist Avri Borochov. As a child he absorbed Sephardic music at synagogue along with maqams from the Middle East and North Africa, as well as Mizrahi, Ashkenazi, and other Israeli styles. He began playing trumpet near age eleven and soon developed a passion for jazz. During high school he studied the idiom intensively, absorbing recordings by Miles Davis, Lee Morgan, Wynton Marsalis, and additional artists. In 2007 he relocated to New York City to attend the New School, studying with pianist Barry Harris and taking part in the Betty Carter Jazz Ahead program. While there he began shaping a personal approach that merges modal post-bop with the ethnic music of his upbringing. In addition to straight-ahead gigs, he performed with like-minded musicians such as guitarist Nadav Remez and bassist Omer Avital.
As a bandleader Borochov debuted in 2014 with Outset, a quartet date featuring saxophonist Hagai Amir, brother Avri on bass, and drummer Aviv Cohen. Boomerang followed in 2016 and again included his brother along with pianist Michael King and drummer Jay Sawyer. The evocative Blue Nights appeared in 2019 with a guest contribution from the Moroccan collective Innov Gnawa. In 2023 he made his Greenleaf label debut with Arba, on which he sang for the first time on record.
