[TPIN] RE: Freddy Hubbard

[Glenn Bengry]

Guys,


    I read the article on Freddie where he acknowledges that he was partying 
too hard. I don't like to continue "rumors", BUT, the word on the street was 
that Freddie was doing that quite a bit and got way out of shape and tried 
to keep playing like he was always used to playing.  I think we've all 
gotten out of shape and thought we could do what we could do when we were in 
shape.  I always thought that Freddie had great chops and a great embouchure 
because he had arguably the greatest, most free, gorgeous sound and could 
get all around the horn with such ease it was hardly imaginable that a guy 
could do that.

     Other great players that had major lip injuries:  Armando 
Ghitalla(Boston Symphony) had a growth on his top lip.  Correct me if I'm 
wrong those of you who knew him.  He had Tottle make him some huge 
mouthpieces and he played through it.  I don't know how he healed it.

Tom Stevens(Los Angeles Philharmonic)  had a cyst(career threatening) on his 
upper lip who had a brilliant doctor who injected him exactly in the precise 
spot and saved his career.  I was told that story by a source very close to 
the situation so I think it is very close to accurate.

Raphael Mendez  (the legend of the trumpet) had has face bashed in when 
someone opened the door of the pit in the Fox theater in Detroit. He thought 
he might not ever be able to play the trumpet again.  He tried everything 
until his father finally coached him back in Mexico  of how to slowly come 
back and retrain all the muscles and tissue.  The story is in a biography or 
is it an autobiography which is available. This period of healing and 
retraining took a couple of years after which he played better than ever.  
He could play equally well anywhere on his lips.  In the middle, just off 
center, way to the left, or way to the right.  He trained his face that 
much.  It is unbelievable to hear him demonstrate that (on recordings)

Bud Herseth  (Chicago Symphony)  was in a car accident  which busted up his 
face.  I believe he was out a whole season or most of one.  He played an old 
Bach 7c before the accident and went bigger afterward.  I think his 
workhorse mouthpiece was some kind of Bach 1B with a 22 throat.

A lot of players have to go through this in their careers.  I hope Freddie 
makes it back.  I love the way he used to sound.

     In high school I pressed so hard I had a rock in my top lip that 
wouldn't go away.  It took me more than a decade to learn how to warm up.  I 
had a terrific player for a teacher who told me not to warm up.  That messed 
me up for a long time.

     At age 40 I changed my embouchure and had to relearn how to play.  The 
results were worth it but it took me several years to get it going and its 
still developing.

     This is all overkill for your original question but I know that a lot 
of young guys on the list will feel a little better about how many problems 
the old guys have had to overcome to keep playing.


Glenn
>From: "William Graham" <weg9 at comcast.net>
>To: "Perales, James" <jperales at amilink.com>, <tpin at tpin.okcu.edu>
>CC: jrpjazz at yahoo.com
>Subject: Re: [TPIN] RE: Freddy Hubbard
>Date: Fri, 9 Jun 2006 14:48:50 -0700
>
>
>----- Original Message ----- From: "Perales, James" <jperales at amilink.com>
>To: <tpin at tpin.okcu.edu>
>Cc: <jrpjazz at yahoo.com>
>Sent: Friday, June 09, 2006 1:54 PM
>Subject: [TPIN] RE: Freddy Hubbard
>
>
>>Hello to all TPINers,
>>
>>I'm at work, working on my computer, listening to Freddy Hubbard's "Ready 
>>for Freddy" cd. Fred did some awesome work on this here.
>>
>>>From what I've read, Fred was a great player and a real HOT star 'till he 
>>>had major embochure problems that sidelined his music career.
>>
>>The book "Trumpet Kings" makes mention of it.
>>
>>I'm not too informed regarding this, but would like to know if there was 
>>something in particullar that Fred did,... bad embochure habits, etc... or 
>>some lip trauma,....
>>perhaps a combination of things...that caused him this misfortune?
>>
>>Any illuminated trumpet sage here can reply, or anyone in the know.
>>
>>Thanks.
>>
>>
>>Sincerely,
>>James P.
>
>I found this through Google...
>    http://www.shout.net/~jmh/articles/freddie01.html
>
>
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