Rafael Mendez - Scherzo in D minor

[katiemay1856]

awsome.

[lunageologist]

I have to agree Nabookov50, this recording totally ruins the music, but he is an amazing player, I really wish I could hear it in better audio.

[Bflat1]

What I like, besides his obvious mastery of the horn, is the ease in which he plays it. He's got a big sound and you know he had hours and hours and hours of chops.

[hataken666]

I can only say woooowwww--iii<0

[hataken666]

I can only say woooowwww

[dreadss64]

I have the music and following along i agree is hard enough

[Nabokov50]

I know this has been said before, but it's worth repeating. It's too damn bad this incomparable virtuoso lived when recording technology was in its infancy.

[OniMurasame]

@Nabokov50 The recording totally RUINS the awesomeness of the performance. But even with the crappy recording, you can FULLY recognize the level of mastery of the instrument. Hearing him play just makes myself want to quit playing and study harder altogether!

[TheGhoulardi]

If you don't thjnk he can jazz listen to his cover of "Body and Soul". Nothing short of GENIUS !!

[TheAir22power]

4 people evidently don't know what talent is

[Nabokov50]

It's not demonstrated here, but Mendez is the only trumpet player I have ever heard double-tongue a trill.

[borgias2]

I would like to see the score, especially the last 15 seconds or so.

[starbuxntimmys]

WOW =]

[JackyWhiite]

hdf trumpsahead

[ronwass]

How can you possibly say this guy is not a true "musician" just because he isn't much of an improviser like the others you mention. Might as well say Jascha Heifetz wasn't a true musician.

[JackyWhiite]

@trumpsahead hdf u idiot

[trumpsahead]

@JackyWhiite Mendez is clearly a great performer, a virtuoso, a fantastic technical trumpet wizard, what else can I say, truly a great artist and entertainer, a legend. The label "musician" is too general; he plays music, he's a musician. Sorry I posted the earlier post, it was hasty.

It's just that when you play a song hundreds of times every note the same as the first time you can lose the creative inspiration. I'd rather be a great improviser than a great technician. See what Yehudi said.

[RafaelSatchmo]

@trumpsahead @trumpsahead You've never heard Mendez improvise. His recording of "I Know that You Know" with his Mendez All Stars Big Band showcases his ability to improvise. Nothing short of incredible. And not a missed note. He just had complete mastery of the horn. Miles Davis would crack a note and call it part of the experience. Mendez didn't crack notes, or miss one, when he improvised in jazz (at least on the recordings I've heard).

[trumpsahead]

@RafaelSatchmo

Hi, I listened to "I Know..." played by Mendez and Orchestra. Yes, fantastic performance. I don't question his virtuosity btw, I think he was by far the greatest trumpet virtuoso that ever lived.

I would call "I Know..." an "arrangement" but not necessarily an "improvisation" unless you know for a fact that he was improvising. Most big band songs are arranged or at least the improv is very rehearsed so there are no surprises.

I'm gonna learn Virgen de la Macarena I just heard.

[RafaelSatchmo]

@trumpsahead You're right to a degree. But most jazz folks have worked out their riffs and so on ahead of time; just listen to their different recordings of the same piece. The comment by one musician associated with Mendez in the 1940s and 50s is that he DID improvise on the spot in many of his concerts. And up until the mid-1960s, he performed upwards of 120 concerts in six months each year.

Yes he stands at the top of all trumpeters. I've been working on "Virgen..." for years. Maybe next year

[trumpsahead]

@RafaelSatchmo

After that comment, I'm taking your side. There can be no argument that Rafael Mendez had such unbelievable command of his axe; 'though he was not a jazz musician, he could have created anything on the spot he wanted and play it flawlessly. So, yeah, come to think of it, classical musicians of a couple hundred years ago improvised all the time - like Mozart - as that was the music of the day and improv or new compositions on the spot were probably more commonplace than today.

[gunplamaster]

He is a legend to all trumpet player

[G0NZAL0666]

asi somos de geniales en mexico ._. visiten guanajuat0 jajaaa

[fenixpoot]

No saben que orgulloso me siento en este momento. Soy Mexicano y actualmente estoy sumamente deprimido y avergonzado de serlo, nuestro gobierno es horrible. Pero este video me hizo recordar que los Mexicanos sí podemos hacer bien las cosas. ¡Cómo me hubiera gustado haber vivido en ese México de ensueño!

[popnlocker77]

This sounds like a major and not a minor key

[daynelmarzo]

some people posting crappy comments...dude, let's enjoy and stop finding defects for this video... It's amazing.

[DanS24106]

The recording and amplification technology was horrible back then. One wonders what he actually sounded like. The accompaniment is very poorly (if at all) mixed and his playing is given no acoustical embellishment or help.

[wetmelon]

Good?

[lmaraya]

I wish I could heard him live. I think that most of his recording do not capture his real sound. It would had being a so much a greater experience to heard him live. Incredible!!!

[doc2188]

THANKS FOR POSTING THIS.

[pokemon474747]

and OMG how can he move his fingers so quickly =D i idolize him lol

[pokemon474747]

If he can single tounge all that, he is god of trumpets, although, knowing him, he did xD i cant double tongue that fast and im pretty fast lol

[kyledugger]

Mendez learned to double tongue before single

[emporchiel]

El mejor

[theman9126]

he is the modern luois armstrong on the trumpet....a trumpet version of andrew marriner or stanley drucker

[louis621]

louis armstrong was known for his music, not so much for his trumpet playing skills... they cannot compare, rafael mendez played trumpet miles better than louis armstrong..

[oldschooldrumcorps]

True, Louis Armstrong was not a classically trained player. his instrument was the Coronet, and he came to play from a whole different perspective. Rafael is clearly a master of the European style of music, where louis is a master of the only true American music form, Jazz. But belive it or not, in Mendez' playing, I can hear a touch of the Mariachi

[zagaba1]

What r U nuts. Louis Armstrong may not necessarily been known for his speed of play but he most certainly was known for his clarity of tone

[louis621]

Louis had his own tone, and among jazz players he was famous when he was young for his extreme range and endurence, even though he would later damage his lips because of his incorrect embouchure... i think tho that his brilliance lies more in his highly melodic improv and the way he changed the entirety of jazz through the role of the soloist....

[ornerybrosint]

maybe that's more what people thought of in his later years but Armstrong got his rep as the best trumpet player in New Orleans and later in various bands like King Oliver's and then his own recordings with Hot 5's & 7's.

[nelsony2568]

this is man is something, can any one tells which one is more difficult to play this song carnival of venice of meto perpetuo

[kyledugger]

They are difficult for completely different reasons. Moto is difficult because you have to circular breathe. Carnival is difficult due to the myriad of techniques involved.

[carlosakacito]

he is god he is the best trumpet player there will ever be and thats that

[clarinet343]

WOW!

[ElPapasitoLopez]

muy bien perfecto se luce

[cmcas]

I'm a bassoon player so I wouldn't know much but this is truly impressive!! anyway I find this sound so "50s" I mean the style..

Nowadays people tend to play more dolce..

[newromantic1]

2 words......Holy s***

[jesusfreak072]

wow outstanding tone and articulation he is the best there ever was!

[Marshmallowmann]

jesusfreak072

you're so damn right... he's the ideal i'm following

[andresb1986]

Not only was his playing second to none, but his showmanship was also very impressive, he is very entertaining to watch he truly put on a performance for people

[trumpet95]

what fire!

[DominusOminous]

Laugh though you might, besides running one of the best horn bands in the business, Severson at his peak was a classical powerhouse with astounding articulation and technical flair. His lip slurs were second to none.

Mendez is a trumpet god, no doubt, but even he would acknowledge other great players with humility, I am sure.

[teflonde]

Cheers Nabokov!

My sentiments too.

He was and still is:

The Greatest!

(even my cornet/trumpet professor said that thirty-odd years ago)

Cheers

[Nabokov50]

You may not like the music he plays or his style, but technically, he has no peers. He's been dead 28 years and no equal has surfaced.

[totalbandgeek1313]

You're right...so far. Maybe one day someone with hardcore dedication and pure talent will follow in his footsteps....

[WAKeele]

Probably, but it won't be a part of popular music like it was in his day, so it will mean less to the general public. Those were the days!

[zarcotte]

I am a great admirer of Mendez too, but Allen Vizzutti probably surpassed Mendez with technique. I find Mendez much easier to listen to, however.

[3shiftgtr]

Hey Nabokov50- I'm a guitar player, but RM was my Dad's fav. I was tickled to find video of him playing. How technically does he compare to Sandoval?

[teflonde]

I would like to see the musical transcript of what he was playing some 4:23 minutes toward the end of this piece

Astonishing!

[greenstboy]

I agree 100%. While the whole piece is astonishing, the last several seconds are from a different universe. Marsalis, Nakariakov, etc. are wonderful. But no one has the perfect technique of Mendez.

[ivantpt89]

I have the transcript, and well it doesn't look too special, it's the tempo, he's playing 16th notes on 6/8 time... the end is just 8 measures with a pick up. to even follow it as he's playing is hard enough... Mendez is the standrd by which trumpt players must be measured.

[angleleft]

Raphael Mendez was the first the first classical trumpeter I ever heard and his handling of Scherzo in D minor is to me, Mendez at his most beautiful... And the reason I took up the instrument. Thank you Zooter1940s for all of your remarkable videos.

[teflonde]

I think Raphael Mendez is/was the greatest trumpet/cornet player there has ever been (or will ever be).

Name one such player today who plays like Raphael did...just one.

Can't be done!

[dsd66613]

a trumpet player i am not.. but after watching a few of mendez' videos.. is there any way to make a trumpet sound good without playing staccato at a mile a minute? it got repetitive real fast.

[gertnood]

You must have stopped it before 1:37. It is lyrical from 1:37 - 3:40.

Mendez was a wizard and this is one of the things he did. He could also play gorgeous lyrical lines. He is one of if not the most respected trumpet player that ever lived.

[freshhh1994]

He composed this piece himself... lol.

[ASSSTUD]

the greatest articulator/ the worst phrasing ever.

[sublmbadfish]

Anyone here heard the John Hagstrom recording...if not buy the CD on Itunes...worth it. Search music for trumpet and winds.

[MKDAWUSS]

... and what's amazing is how clear and articulate he is, even though the sound is a little scratchy due to the age of the film

[EnglishHornYay]

I f'ing hate vizzuti but I love mendez

[teflonde]

The last part of this piece (as with several others) is astonishing to me...the double-tonguing is so exact and precise...almost purely mechanical.

Question to you posters:

Are there any other trumpet/cornet players around these days that can match Rafael's mastery?

If so, please let me know through this 'YouTube' medium.

Cheers

[PUIncubus]

this dude is insane....wish i was around to see him. but i totally think allen vizutti .... he could totally do what he just did ...and some. but this guy is up there man....

[Trumpetz81]

Vizutti would insert a few loud high notes and still fall short of playing the piece even half as convincingly. He also isn't as clean.

[PUIncubus]

whoa whoa, come now, give vizutti more credit than that. but rafael mendez is defn amazing. one of the greatests ever. one of my all time fav classical players will still be gerard schwarz

[Trumpetz81]

I'm giving Vizutti plenty of credit. I've seen the guy play and he's phenomenal, a technical freak. Real nice guy too. Nonetheless, I still don't think he's in quite the same league as Mendez.

[PUIncubus]

cool man cool

[Trumpetz81]

Yeah man I didn't mean that as an insult. I'd give one of my testes to be able to do what Vizutti does. I'd just give them both to play the way Mendez does. Wait, no.

[EinSofVirtuoso]

I think the closest one so far..even though Mendez is still thousands of miles ahead...is Wynton Marsalis.

[gertnood]

Try Sergei Nakariakov, who made his first recording at age 14 and sounds 30. The most frightening talent I've seen in ages.

[Zooter1940s]

I dunno if anyone could match him, but there's some guys that come close. Sergei Nakariakov, Dave Hickman, Joe Burgstaller, Geoffrey Payne. Some old timers that could match up: Harry James, Timofei Dokshizer, and Maurice André. I'm probably forgetting a lot but that should get you started.

[angleleft]

Lucky for us, his family had re-released some of his best work on CDs about 10 years ago.

[HoboNinja2]

@teflonde Anything but mechanical. He plays with more feeling and class than most.

[EatNopales]

@teflonde What do you think about Isidro Martinez? His best work has been on redefining the modern mariachi bands with a jazzy Nuevo Son style... but recently issued a tribute to Rafael where he exhibits technical mastery as well as soul, inventiveness & his own unique style.

[jacquillo]

articulation and sound are very close to the technque of the cornet (which had disapeared from the music scene at least 30 years before that recording). he was a witness of an extint style. great document !

[teflonde]

Certainly was not dubbed.

I watched, heard, discerned.

He played it alright.

[Vee90]

You are all insane to think this is dubbed! You must just have a bad internet connection. It is perfect from where I'm sitting, and would be physically impossible to synch the faster passages exactly along with the fingering in the video. They are perfectly together in what I've watched. Thank you so much Zooter for sharing all of these. Rafael is a GOD where musicians are concerned.

[jglsd1]

Rafael Mendez=awesome.

[tonidimitri]

mendez is one of my first and favourite idols, but im sorry to tell you guys this... he is miming on this video. it was a studio recording on top and he is just playing along without blowing in his horn..there is another clip on here with his 2 sons notice the sound is the same

[freshhh1994]

Proof?

[Zooter1940s]

I think he's definitely playing, you can see him blowing and can see some embouchure action here and there. But sometimes the sound and the video look funny together (like during some of his breaths, although this may be due to bad syncing), so I wouldn't put it past him that he rerecorded this song after filming.

[teflonde]

Rafael - the Greatest!

Can anyone else play like that these days?

If so, I would like to know.

Cheers.

[teflonde]

Hi 'mexijew' (and all),

Like yourself (perchance), triple-tonguing, not so much a problem, but double-tonguing the way Rafael did it...is for me...no chance at all!

I would like to see the musical score of the Scherzo, particularly the end part.

Cheers,

John

[ivantpt89]

you can buy it online just look for it, it's called "The Rafael MEndez Collection". it has a bunch of his tunes, just like he rcorded them, with piano accompaniament... that collection is the one which i judge my trumpet ability on and the progress i make...

[kyledugger]

Oddly enough though, La virgin de la Macarena, his trademark piece, is not included. Wonder why that is...... stupid money-making publishers, lol

[ivantpt89]

you can get la virgen de la macarena and other of his tunes that aren't in the collection, they're only 7.95 each.

[VanessaMaeFan18]

trumpet virtourso! did anyone hear him play danse boheme? its off the wall. i wish there was a video of him playing that.

[crayola50]

That conductor looks like he has some deeply repressed and unresolved issues drifing around in his attic. Mendez, though, is the perfect.

[trompettor]

creepy conductor... =/

[teflonde]

God given!

[jvjensen]

Yes, thank you for sharing. I sure hope you have more. He did such a great job on the Lackme Bell Song. It would be terrific if you had that. Thanks again. jvj

[mikemx21]

Maestro Rafael Mendez, Donde quiera que te encuentres debes saber que mexico te admira y que eres una gran inspiracion para todos los musicos mexicanos. Tu virtuosismo nos hace creer que no hay limites.

[music8hour]

Great!Bravo!From Rafael Mendez kann I learn very much.

[girlietpt]

wow...something to aspire to

[yosukew7]

Thanks so much for uploading the video.

[mexijew]

that double tonguing almost to the end was just AWESOME..dam

[jonnyboy747]

I love Rafael Mendez. He's one of my favorites. King of multiple tonguing and opening the doors to trumpet players by creating and transcribing music that wasn't intended for trumpet and then playing it so marvelously!!!

[satchselmer]

When I listen to Mendez from audio recordings, it sounds so unbelievably perfect that it's unreal. Then to see him standing there, relaxed, almost dancing through a virtuoso performance, you have to believe such an artist actually lived and breathed.

[crayola50]

Thank you too for this wonderful Mendez material. I follow current trumpet players, like Marsalis and Nakariakov, they are excellent, but they're not Mendez.

[haxer18]

Please keep it coming. And thank you. Great stuff. The man is a true master.

[hankyeulyang]

Thank you for preserving and uploading such a great resource!