Mendez and Maggio?

[Blancolate]

What was the relationship between the two. Is it true that Maggio developed some of his Pedal routines from Mendez?

[trpt.hick]

They first met in the 1920s when they sometimes played together in various pit orchestras in Detroit. Mendez loved to play pedal tones (that he learned from his father) and Maggio used to watch him play them in his warm-up. Maggio constantly asked Mendez about how to play them and why they helped his embouchure.

Mendez had his disasterous "swinging door" accident (door flew open and struck his bell while playing......knocked out several teeth and cut a large gash in the lips) in 1932. After it healed, he went to numerous trumpet teachers to learn to play again. (He could hardly make a sound on the horn!) Finally, he returned to Mexico and sought the advice of his father. His father put him on a regiment of daily pedal exercises which he did for about a year.

In 1933 Rafael returned to Detroit, now playing even better than before, and resumed his career. By this time, Maggio had moved to Minneapolis. Shortly after, Rafael moved to NYC to play with the Rudy Vallee Show.
When the Vallee Show was transferred to Los Angeles, Mendez went along (1938).

As you probably know, Maggio also had a disasterous accident (fell on the ice crossing some street car rails) and regained his embouchure through the use of pedal tones. After Maggio moved to Los Angeles, he became a famous teacher and taught many of the top studio players. Rafael also sent his two boys, Robert and Rafael, Jr., to Maggio for lessons because he was on the road so much he didn't have time to give the boys regular lessons.

So, it seems that Maggio learned to play pedals from Mendez. However, Maggio became the master teacher of them to many, many students. Maggio and Mendez were very good friends.

In the Rafael Mendez Library, there is a large photograph (24" X 36") of the elderly Maggio with about two dozen of his closest trumpet students and friends (including Mendez) which was taken at a party given in Maggio's honor. Also in the photo is Roger Spaulding, author of the "Double High C in 37 Weeks" method.

There was an earlier thread in a different forum on the Maggio-Mendez connection from last summer. It references several articles including an interview with Mendez from the ITG Journal where Mendez talks about pedal tones and Maggio.

DH