Rubin was born in
Brooklyn. He began attending
Juilliard School of Music in New York when he was 17 and studied with William Vacchiano, who was principal trumpet in the New York Philharmonic. Vacchiano described Rubin as his best student. While at Juilliard, Rubin was invited to play with
Paul Hindemith on his last concert tour of the United States, but Rubin chose instead to play with
Peggy Lee at the
Village Vanguard. Rubin dropped out of Juilliard at 20 to tour with singer
Robert Goulet as his lead trumpet player. == Career ==