It might seem a bit early to be thinking about the 2023 HSL Properties Tucson Jazz Festival, but event organizers want to give Tucson jazz fans a taste of whatâs to come.
On Saturday, Oct. 22, the festival is partnering with the Tucson Jewish Community Center to bring Israeli jazz trumpeter Itamar Borochov to the center for a pre-festival concert.
Borochovâs concert in the Jâs outdoor sculpture garden could be like nothing youâve ever heard before in the jazz realm. The acclaimed trumpeter takes his cues from the jazz greats (Louis Armstrong, Clark Terry, Miles Davis, Kenny Dorham and Wynton Marsalis) who inspired him to take up the trumpet at 11 years old and marry it with the sacred Sephardic sounds that surrounded him throughout his childhood.
âIt is rare to find an artist like Itamar, who blends sacred Sephardic and jazz music in a truly mesmerizing way,â Jazz Festival Executive Director Khris Dodge said in a written release.
Borochov studied at New Yorkâs New School before joining Yemen Blues in 2010. He recorded three albums with the ensemble before striking out with his debut solo album in 2014.
Critics have heaped praise on the 38-year-oldâs convergence of jazz and the multicultural sounds of his native Jaffa, Israel, which he has performed on four continents and on some of the worldâs most storied jazz stages.
Dodge said Saturdayâs concert provides the festival with an âopportunity to establish a solid, sustaining partnership with the J.â It also serves as a preamble to the 2023 festival, which runs Jan. 13-22 with more than 20 artists including Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers, Terence Blanchard featuring the E-Collective & Turtle Island Quartet, Monterey Jazz festival on Tour, Pink Martini with China Forbes and conductor Evan Roider and artist-in-residence England-born trombonist Elliot Mason.
Borochovâs concert with his quartet on Saturday begins at 6:45 p.m. at the J Sculpture Garden, 3800 E. River Road. Tickets are $25 through tucne.ws/1ll8 or by calling 520-299-3000.
