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AccentOnTrumpet
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 20, 2004 4:45 am    Post subject: This could be an interesting one... Reply with quote

I thought this would be a good topic.

What pieces would you have liked to hear Mendez play/record? I would personally would've enjoyed hearing Mendez play the Aruituinian, I think he would've just absolutely nailed it, and his vibrato would've fit well. Unless I'm misinformed, I've never heard of him playing the piece. I also think it would be interesting to hear Mendez's interpretations of Gershwin tunes such as "Summertime", "The Man I Love", "An American In Paris" etc.

Your thoughts?
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oj
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 20, 2004 6:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yeah,

I can hear some similarities in the sound of Dokshizer and Mendez.

The Arutiunian concerto was written in 1950 (for Zsolak Vartasarian). Timofei Dokshizer was the first recording artist of this concerto (late 1960, I think).

When I found that Melodia LP (behind the "iron curtain" in 1976) and showed it to friends in Norway, non of them had heard this concerto. I guess Mendez did not hear it earlier than that (if he ever heard it?) - and by mid 1970 he was not active as a soloist (remember he died in 1981)

Ole
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TrumpetPly1
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 20, 2004 7:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Actually the Arutunian Concerto was written for a friend of Dokshitser's, Aikaz Mesiayan, according to Dokshitser's memoirs. I'm not trying to be a jerk, I just wanted the information to be right.
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oj
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 20, 2004 10:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Let us not start a discussion in the Mendez Forum, but here are some info that will clear this up (some of it actually from the composer):

The Concerto was written in 1950 not commissioned by or for anyone. But, Arutiunian originally intended to write it in 1943 for a student of Tabakov, Zsolak Vartasarian, who was principal trumpet in the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra. He was kind of Arutiunian’s stimulus for writing the concerto. However, Vartasarian died in the war and the concerto was not completed until 1950; Aykaz Messiayan was the first performer of the Concerto.

Ole
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trpt.hick
Rafael Méndez Forum Moderator


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PostPosted: Mon Dec 20, 2004 10:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ole:

Again, you win the prize! If there is ever a big trumpet trivia contest, I want you and Derek Reaban on my team.
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oj
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 20, 2004 10:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks or the kind words, Dave!

Do you know if Mendez on his later days listened to any of the "new guys"?
(Classical players like Maurice Andre or crossovers like Doc Severinsen, etc.)


Ole
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TrumpetPly1
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 20, 2004 10:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just out of curiosity, where did you find that information Oj?
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trpt.hick
Rafael Méndez Forum Moderator


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PostPosted: Mon Dec 20, 2004 1:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ole:

Mendez' favorite cornet or trumpet performer was George Swift. He had purchased multiple copies of all of his records (old 78 rpm).....especially liked the solos "Sonia" and "Estrallia" (sp?).

Mendez had a HUGE record collection!!! For several years, he hosted his own radio show in Los Angeles and was allowed to keep all of the promo records sent by labels addressed to the show. There must have been thousands of old 78s and hundreds of 33 rpm LPs. Surprisingly, he did not have a lot of trumpet recordings. (Personally, he loved listening to violinists....especially Heifitz, and opera singers....especially sopranos.)

I cannot remember exactly what was in the mass of records, but I do remember a lot of George Swift, some Herbert Clarke, Harry James, Jimmy Burke, and one LP of me that I sent to him back in the mid-70s because it included his Scherzo in D Minor.

I know that he knew of Doc Severinsen and was a fan. He had seen him on TV many times. However, I seriously doubt that he had heard players like Andre, Scherbaum, Voisin, Ghitalla, Dokshitzer, Stevens, etc. As he traveled, he did get to meet many leading players, but I don't think he was all that aware of their playing first hand. Most of the big name players he knew well were studio cats in NY and LA when he was working on radio, TV, and for MGM.

DH
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AccentOnTrumpet
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 20, 2004 8:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You know, this is funny, but I did not intentionally include both "American In Paris" and the Arutuinian in the same topic. I was in no way trying to compare Mendez with Doksheizer, this was a pure coincidence. Thanks for the background info on the Arutuinian also.
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oj
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 20, 2004 11:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

TrumpetPly1

Some years ago (1998) I helped a young guy from UK with a music project (he compared two concertos, Haydn & Arutunian).

Part of that project was an interview with Arutunian. This interview can be found on my webpage:

http://abel.hive.no/trumpet/haydn/appendices.html

Ole
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Chris Brown
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 11, 2009 7:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dave wrote:
Mendez' favorite cornet or trumpet performer was George Swift. He had purchased multiple copies of all of his records (old 78 rpm).....especially liked the solos "Sonia" and "Estrallia" (sp?).

Here is a well researched web page on the late great George Swift.
http://abel.hive.no/trumpet/swift/
Check out the rest of OJ's website

Chris Brown.
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oj
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 11, 2009 9:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Chris Brown wrote:
Dave wrote:
Mendez' favorite cornet or trumpet performer was George Swift. He had purchased multiple copies of all of his records (old 78 rpm).....especially liked the solos "Sonia" and "Estrallia" (sp?).


He probably meant Elfriede not Estrallia.

George Swift wrote solos for himself named after his (German) wife Elfriede and his first daughter Sonia.

There is a TV recording done by BBC in the early 60s where Swift perform Elfriede with the Mantovani Orchestra. Ed. Tarr, Olaf (a Norwegian friend) and I have tried to get a copy of this black and white TV film. So far with no luck.

If anyone working at BBC read this and has good connections inside that company, please contact me!

Ole
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Bill Bridges
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 11, 2009 4:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

trpt.hick wrote:
Ole:

There must have been thousands of old 78s and hundreds of 33 rpm LPs. Surprisingly, he did not have a lot of trumpet recordings. (Personally, he loved listening to violinists....especially Heifitz, and opera singers....especially sopranos.)

DH


I've often thought Mendez saw the 1939 film, "They Shall Have Music," and drew inspiration from it. It's the only film Jascha Heifetz ever starred in, and he plays many of the pieces Mendez later adapted for the trumpet, and recorded on Decca. You cannot watch the movie and not draw the comparison. It pops up from time to time on TCM.

Personally, one of my favorite Mendez recordings is "Over the Rainbow," on the "Presenting Rafael Mendez" album, which he does without a lot of embellishment (not at all like the virtuoso-ized ballads on "The Singing Trumpet" album).

I'd have enjoyed hearing more popular ballad work, a la his effort on "Over the Rainbow."

Bill Bridges
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mateo
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 14, 2009 10:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

One of my favorite trumpet players in the world Miguel Martinez formerly of Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan among other from the 40's through the 60's said they were highly influenced in their playing styles by non other than Rafael Mendez, Harry James, and Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass. If you listen you can really hear the similarities.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWnmQLraeTc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gakd3Cffgec
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=279Zl2xPh_M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSv4xPt76HA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajAnIhVbgdo
Enjoy,
Mateo
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mateo
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 20, 2009 9:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Did Mendez ever mention whether or not he liked the music of Maynard Ferguson? I would have liked to hear a version of Mendez playing something like Cinema Paradiso or a version of Orfeo Negro... he flexed his technical muscle regularly but I think his lyrical ability is highly underrated. Pieces like Romanza, Musette, and even the intro to Samba Gitana is incredible!
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shofar1
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PostPosted: Sun May 29, 2016 7:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have always thought that Raphael and Timofei were twins who were separated at birth and raised in different countries! Mendez would have been fabulous on the Russian repertoire and the many Peskin compositions would have suited him brilliantly.
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Trumpet Dynamics
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 27, 2016 5:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Legende
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