Mendez Trivia Question #1

trpt.hick · Posted: Wed Sep 08, 2004 7:36 pm Post subject: Mendez Trivia Question #1

When Rafael started his playing career in various theater orchestras in Detroit (late 1920s), he liked for his friends to call him by his American name, Ralph. In one of the orchestras, another trumpet player had the same name. So, Mendez was nicknamed "Mex." This nickname stayed with him while he was in Detroit. He liked it.

TRIVIA QUESTION #1: What was Mendez' nickname when he was a boy in Mexico? Why?

TrumpetEnthusiast1 · Posted: Wed Sep 08, 2004 8:19 pm Post subject:

Was it Tuku because of the double tonguing?

trpt.hick · Posted: Wed Sep 08, 2004 8:24 pm Post subject:

Wow! First poster wins the prize.

Now, the harder question: Why did Mendez learn to double tongue at a very young age (7-8 yrs. old)?

Dave Hickman
Head, Rafael Mendez Library

scarface · Heavyweight Member Joined: 18 Feb 2004 Posts: 1806

AHA! Close. It was Tico Tico. (What I answered for #3) I believe there was a march that he was trying to play and couldn't single tongue fast enough, so his father gave him syllables for double-tounguing. He learned how to do it so well, that his friends called him Tico Tico.

Ok, for my prize, I'd like to choose one of his recordings from the Summit Brass website.

Edit: Damn!!! Foiled again.

trpt.hick · Posted: Wed Sep 08, 2004 8:44 pm Post subject:

scarface:

Prize? His nickname was TU KU, not Tico Tico. However, your are 100% correct about his dad teaching him how to double tongue because he had an unusually slow single tongue.

He simply used double tonguing on all notes faster than moderate single tonguing. He later confessed that his lazy single tongue helped him acquire a very controlled and even double tongue which was the basis of his hyper speed technique. He claimed that he really had no real difficulty in playing faster because of this.

Dave Hickman

scarface · Heavyweight Member Joined: 18 Feb 2004 Posts: 1806

Dave, on one of the CDs Doc says Raphael's wife didn't want their sons to be professional trumpet players. Do you know why she didn't? Was it because of Ralph's busy schedule?

trpt.hick · Posted: Wed Sep 08, 2004 9:51 pm Post subject:

scarface:

Not really sure. I know that she thought that Rafael started them too young, but I don't know much more than that.

The two (twin) sons were really quite good when in high school. They toured with their father in the summers, often performing in Europe, Mexico, or South America. Mendez would perform several solos and the three of them would perform 2 or 3 trios as well. He always played the third part on the trios. :O

Both boys were wanting to become professional trumpet players. During their senior year in high school, some neighbors came over for dinner one evening. Dr. Carroll Bellis was the only urologist in Hollywood back then. During the evening he talked privately with the two boys and asked what they would be doing after graduating.

They informed Dr. Bellis that they were wanting to go to college and major in music. Bellis asked them if they wanted to be just like their dad. Of course they did! He then went on to discuss with them just how difficult it would be to follow their father's reputation....as a player, and a person. He explained that no matter how well they played.....even if they surpassed their father....they would always be in his shadow because of his bigger than life reputation and immense popularity. Sort of a Babe Ruth reputation, I guess.

It sort of sunk in. They realized that they might always be chasing the carrot but never being satisfied with their music careers. Bellis told them that he was planning to retire in a few years. He told them that if they majored in medicine, he would give them his practice.....building, equipment, patients, everything.

Well, they eventually decided to take his advice. Rafael Junior went to Stanford, and Robert went to UCLA. After eight years, they graduated and took over Bellis' practice. I remember seeing some older medical cabinets and patient beds in the garage attic of Rafael's home when we loaded up a large U-Haul truck full of stuff for sorting and displaying in the Mendez Library at Arizona State. The boys remarked that they thought that they might donate those unused items to some poor country that needed medical supplies.

Today, both brothers own Urological Consultants Medical Group, Inc. in the Los Angeles area and are world renouned professors of medicine at USC. They still love music. Ralph, Jr. is on the L. A. Philharmonic Board. Both are on my Summit Brass Executive Board. Unfortunately, they have not played a trumpet in over 20 years.

Was Rafael upset at their decision? No. Once he got over the initial dissapointment, he gave them full support. He was a very proud papa when they became doctors!

Dave Hickman