• FAQ  • Search  • Memberlist  • Usergroups   • Register   • Profile  • Log in to check your private messages  • Log in 

Baseball bat incident?



 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    trumpetherald.com Forum Index -> Rafael Méndez
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
ianewhall
Veteran Member


Joined: 21 Sep 2004
Posts: 174
Location: Seattle, WA

PostPosted: Mon Oct 11, 2004 12:31 pm    Post subject: Baseball bat incident? Reply with quote

Quote:
Mendez retired from concertizing in 1975, but the baseball bat incident stoped him from playing for about a year in the late 1960s. He did much less performing and recording in the late 60s and early 70s. Sadly, his LPs began to disappear from the stores about the time you would have started playing.


I am not aware of the baseball bat incident...can someone elaborate?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Brewblue1
Heavyweight Member


Joined: 20 Oct 2002
Posts: 523
Location: Albuquerque, NM

PostPosted: Mon Oct 11, 2004 1:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Méndez was on vacation in Jiquilpan, Mexico in the summer of 1967. While attending a Little League baseball game of a team that he had entirely outfitted with uniforms and equipment, a swung bat flew into the stands where he was sitting. The fat end of the bat struck Méndez in the right cheek, just below the eye, making three fractures in the cheek bone. He eventually lost teeth along with the fractures.

Amazingly, he again returned a year later to concertizing, although his asthma began to grow increasingly worse and caused him to cut his performances from around 125 a year to 30 or 35.
_________________
John Marchiando
University of New Mexico
New Mexico Philharmonic
Shires Artist
Tromba Mundi
Summit Brass
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
trpt.hick
Rafael Méndez Forum Moderator


Joined: 16 Jul 2004
Posts: 2630

PostPosted: Mon Oct 11, 2004 9:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I heard the very first concert Mendez gave after taking about a year off after this accident. It was in 1968 (I was in HS) in the wee little town of Harrisburg, Nebraska (about 45 miles from my little home town of Kimball, NE).

Mendez talked at length about the accident during his afternoon clinic. He also rehearsed with the Banner County HS Band, and played a fair amount during the clinic. (We have the concert program in one of the glass cases in the Mendez Library.)

The concert that evening was classic Mendez....such bravura, sound, and technique!! However, his endurance was not his best. He programmed 4 difficult solos and played 2 encores. He was beat! As much playing as he did that day, it would have been tough for anyone. So, a few high notes were taken down an octave, but the audience still loved it.

DH
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
ianewhall
Veteran Member


Joined: 21 Sep 2004
Posts: 174
Location: Seattle, WA

PostPosted: Tue Oct 12, 2004 1:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'll have to do more reading on Mendez. Sounds like he had fascinating life.
DH-can you recommend a good biography or autobio? Thanks. IAN
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
trpt.hick
Rafael Méndez Forum Moderator


Joined: 16 Jul 2004
Posts: 2630

PostPosted: Tue Oct 12, 2004 2:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ian,

The best one is by Jane W. Hickman and Delon Lyren titled MAGNIFICENT MENDEZ. It was published by Summit Records but is now out of print. I would ask around or see if any music libraries near you have it.

Del's dissertation was done in 1994 at ASU. It is also very complete but is written in a more formal style and has no photographs. You can surely find it and get it through interlibrary loan. (Del is teaching trumpet now at Bemidji State university in MN.)

Please check out the Mendez Library website for more info and tons of photos. It is mentioned lots of times on this forum.

DH
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
gio trumpeter
Heavyweight Member


Joined: 02 Jul 2004
Posts: 894
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada

PostPosted: Wed Oct 13, 2004 2:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I"m confused, I heard that he was practicing in the back before a concert and a door swung right on his bell and he couldnt make a sound for two years. Did those two things happen? Or am I getting info from the wrong person?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail AIM Address MSN Messenger
Brewblue1
Heavyweight Member


Joined: 20 Oct 2002
Posts: 523
Location: Albuquerque, NM

PostPosted: Wed Oct 13, 2004 3:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

gio,

the injury Méndez sustained in the pit of the Fox Theater in Detroit was the first of TWO embouchure injuries he had to recover from during his prolific career.

The swinging door occurred in 1932, the baseball bat in 1967. Incredibly he came back from both to concertize again.
_________________
John Marchiando
University of New Mexico
New Mexico Philharmonic
Shires Artist
Tromba Mundi
Summit Brass
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
gio trumpeter
Heavyweight Member


Joined: 02 Jul 2004
Posts: 894
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada

PostPosted: Thu Oct 14, 2004 8:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

thanks for clearing that up
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail AIM Address MSN Messenger
Kevin Good
Regular Member


Joined: 08 Oct 2003
Posts: 68

PostPosted: Wed Nov 24, 2004 8:09 pm    Post subject: Mendez in Detroit (Fox Theatre) Reply with quote

FWIW- The Fox has been seriously restored and I'm told that the music library is more or less intact from some of the early days. We do concerts there from time to time and I've asked the house manager about looking at the music from years gone by. He seems receptive to the idea so - Is there any way of knowing which shows Mendez did while he was here?

I'm wondering if his "book" might still be in the dusty stacks up here.

Kevin Good
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
trpt.hick
Rafael Méndez Forum Moderator


Joined: 16 Jul 2004
Posts: 2630

PostPosted: Wed Nov 24, 2004 10:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Kevin,

Nice to hear from you!

Mendez joined the Fox Theater Orchestra in 1931, I believe. The trumpet section was Mendez, Ralph Jewell, and Warren Johnston. Because there were two "Ralphs" in the section, Mendez was called "Mex."

Harry Leib was the conductor then. It would seem very doubtful that you could find Mendez' book of show music, but it would be cool if you could. Mendez left the orchestra sometine in 1932, after the swinging door incident. After his chops were back together, a year later, Mendez returned to Detroit and took a position with the Michigan Theater Orchestra.

Dave
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Kevin Good
Regular Member


Joined: 08 Oct 2003
Posts: 68

PostPosted: Fri Nov 26, 2004 5:30 am    Post subject: Fox Theatre-Mendez dates Reply with quote

Thank you sir, those dates will help me identify who might have played what. The house manager told me he thought some of it may have been early Disney stuff...played along with silent animation....but I have no idea if that's accurate.

Right now, the Fox is swamped with holiday work and so am I, so I probably won't get to look into this until January.

Kevin Good
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
aztrumpet
Regular Member


Joined: 03 Jan 2004
Posts: 17

PostPosted: Tue Dec 14, 2004 12:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I had heard a story that Mendez also suffered another chops injury caused by either a jr. high or high school band director in the Phoenix area (perhaps in the 60's). This band director apparently conducted with very wide sweeping motions and Mendez inadvertently moved a tad too close while cueing a woodwind player. Also, the band director was the father of one of the Phoenix Symphony members. Has anyone else heard about this incident?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
trpt.hick
Rafael Méndez Forum Moderator


Joined: 16 Jul 2004
Posts: 2630

PostPosted: Tue Dec 14, 2004 5:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I haven't heard anything about that if it actually happened. If so, must not have been very serious.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    trumpetherald.com Forum Index -> Rafael Méndez All times are GMT - 8 Hours
Page 1 of 1

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group