Armando Ghitalla

tptguy · Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2012 2:19 am Post subject: Armando Ghitalla

A recent poster in this forum questioned the assertion that Armando Ghitalla studied with Jerry Callet. FWIW here's the information that I've heard through the grapevine:

A student player, Robert Sousa, was studying with Armando but running into road blocks. He then consulted with Gary Smith, 35 year player with the St. Louis Symphony, who was at the time in Boston. In a few lessons Robert achieved such success that Armando took notice and asked Gary what he showed Robert. Gary, a student of Jerry Callet, referred Amando directly to Jerry.

Amando then set up a lesson with Jerry for the next time he was in NY. The initial lesson took place at Charles Colin's studio in Manhattan and subsequent lessons were held over the phone. From what I was told, Armando said the lessons were "better than 10 years of previous practice." Full disclosure, this was hearsay as I never interacted with Armando directly.

I only add this information for those that are interested. For a more accurate update I encourage anyone interested to call Jerry directly and see if my information agrees with his. And of course, I welcome posters with additional info to add to this thread.

Best to all, Kyle

geezer · Veteran Member Joined: 22 Mar 2012 Posts: 166

40 years ago my friends and I heard about a funny thing that had once happened when Doc Severinsen took a lesson fron Donald Reinhardt.
But when we later asked Reinhardt about it, Reinhardt said that he had never met Doc Severinsen.

I keep hearing the story about how Lynn Nicholson was the one who opened Maynard Ferguson's mouthpiece throat to a #19.
But in summer of 1973 Maynard told us that he was playing a #19 throat,
and that was before Lynn had ever met Maynard, when Lynn was playing for Bill Chase.

I have no idea whether the story you heard about Ghitalla is true.
I am just saying that so many such stories we hear are not true.
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drewwilkie86 · Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2012 6:01 am Post subject:

I'd contribute to this thread, but more than likely it will just get locked or deleted anyway.
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Jerry Freedman · Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2012 12:19 pm Post subject:

Didn't we just have a locked thread dealing apochryphal SC/TCE/MSC players?

jamesswilcox · Regular Member Joined: 22 Apr 2010 Posts: 58

Well, we just dusted down the family ouija board and I can confirm that Armando Ghitalla did indeed take lessons with Jerry. He also asked me to update his Wikipedia entry to reflect this omission;

lubonv · Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2012 3:29 am Post subject:

Well, ask Robert
http://www.gatewaybrassquintet.com/Robert%20Souza.htm
or Gary
http://www.trumpetguild.org/2001conference/bios.html#Anchor-GARY-35326
if you can trace them.
c'mon man, we are all just humans!

Lb

PS: Let us know...
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cjl · Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2012 4:05 am Post subject: Re: Armando Ghitalla

drewwilkie86 · Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2012 5:30 am Post subject:

^ great post.
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EddieLewis · Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2012 5:56 am Post subject:

As a teacher I have always had a very serious policy of not telling people about the pros that I've taught. Even though that kind of behavior would most likely boost my reputation a little (perhaps), it could also be the kiss of death for a professional player's career.

The only time the pros come to me is if they are having a serious problem. The last thing I want to do to them is make it public knowledge that one of the pros in town is having chop problems. I would much rather the pros trust me enough with their situations and privacy than to flaunt their patronage for my own selfish purposes.

Now, I would HOPE that most teachers operate this way?

That could explain some of the discrepancy. I'm not sure what difference it makes if Ghitalla studied with Callet or not. As far as I'm concerned, it really doesn't matter.
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Crazy Finn · Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2012 2:39 pm Post subject:

Brian Moon · Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2012 3:15 pm Post subject:

Ghitalla told me Jerry "saved my career".
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cjl · Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2012 3:24 pm Post subject:

Cool! Thanks for the verification.

royjohn · Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2012 6:21 pm Post subject:

I don't really have a dog in this fight, but I am puzzled. Ghitalla retired after 15 years as principal trumpet of the Boston Symphony in 1979 and then taught at the Uinversity of Michigan, Ann Arbor until 1996. After that he continued to teach and, when he died, he was teaching at the Shepherd School of Music @ Rice Unversity. His obit noted that many of his students were professional players in major orchestras in America. I studied briefly with a Ghitalla student who was in Tennessee temporarily recuperating from a lip injury. I was referred to this person by Jeff Smiley because he espoused Balanced Embouchure principles. He said he'd been taught roll-in by Armando and BE made sense to him because of his prior learning.

Now I wouldn't question that Armando took lessons from Jerry Callet and I wouldn't question that he said Jerry saved his career. That far, we're fine. However, if Ghitalla had all these students, and taught as Callet taught, why haven't some of them taught the same way and publicized their adherence to Callet principles?? In addition, Ghitalla died in 2001 after an extended illness, before Trumpet Secrets was published (around 2004), so when did Callet save his career and what was it that he taught Ghitalla (Trumpet Yoga, Master Superchops, TCE, or ????) and why isn't this tutelage better known?

There just appears to me to be a lot to clarify here. . . . and why is it that important anyway? If TCE is a modern rediscovery of ancient secrets, that's good enough. IDK why everyone doesn't play that way, but perhaps eventually it will catch on. The germ theory of disease wasn't accepted all at once . . . .
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Brian Moon · Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2012 7:52 pm Post subject:

This was the summer of 1972 or 73. Ghitalla mentioned Trumpet Yoga when he spoke to me about Callet. He was in to pedal tones and rolling in your chops when playing. I do not play that way.
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Mikester · Veteran Member Joined: 11 Nov 2001 Posts: 373

I graduated from UofM in the early '90's and had a lesson from Jerry in late 90's at his studio. He told me Armando sat in the chair I was in playing "Carnival of Venice" melody with Jerry's style embochure just as I was.