Julius “Jules” Borenstein (1930-2020) fell in love with jazz as a teenager around Harlem in the 1940s. In the early 1950s, he played in the army band with Chet Baker, organizing jam sessions around Fort Huachuca, Arizona, that lasted late into the desert nights.

 

A few years later he packed up his clarinet, saxophone, and flute and hopped on a boat to Europe. Soon he was playing gigs in Italy while sleeping under the stars on the Italian Riviera. He would go on to spend years booking jazz shows in Italy, France, Germany and Israel, serving as an early global emissary for jazz. The entrepreneurial skills he gained as a working musician served as the foundation for a long and successful career in business. 

 

Jules was a people person with dear friends all over the world. He was the life of the party, with an infectious smile and positive attitude that would always win over the room. He is missed dearly by his family, who know it would be his wish to have a world with more jazz and more support for the musicians who make it.