John Perko UMASS Trumpet 1967-1972

John Perko was an excellent trumpet player that was in the same senior class year as trumpet player Bob Amato who attended UMASS-Amherst in 1972.  Although John was not a music major, John is well worth noting in this essay.

John was one of four particularly talented student trumpet players that Bob was associated with during his 1967-1972 UMASS-Career. The other three were Doug Purcell, Jerry Mirliani, and Sylvia Gaviglio (a non-music major like John Perko). Bob’s frequent rehearsals and consequential concert performances with these four trumpet players was always a pleasure and always put a smile on Bob’s face. Not only did these four trumpet players play well, they also were great fun to be around.

John might be a year younger than Bob, and if that is the case, Bob met John in the UMASS-Amherst school year that began in September 1968. John played with the Marching Band for sure, probably the Concert Band under the Direction of Larry Weed at the time where Bob played 1st Chair trumpet. In the Symphony Band under the Direction of Processor John Jenkins, from either 1969 or 1970, John Perko played 1st Cornet, 3rd Chair seated to the right of Sylvia Gaviglio who sat to the right of Cornet and Trumpet section leader Bob Amato who played 1st Chair Cornet.

The UMASS-Amherst Symphony Band was considered to be the finest collegiate Symphony Band in New England. (The New England Conservatory fielded a fantastic ‘Wind Ensemble’ which is the ‘Chamber Band smaller version of a much larger ‘Symphony Band’) However, the University of Connecticut (UCONN) fielded a very fine Symphony Band as well as an excellent Marching Band that should have certainly rivaled UMASS in musical talent in the 1967-1972 time frame.

 

A frequent target of Bob’s unfortunate hazing, practical jokes and occasional overall

disruptive immature behavior was an outstanding trumpet player, but non-music major,  Sylvia Gaviglio (from Springfield, Massachusetts) who played 1st cornet, 2nd chair and sat to the right of Bob for at least two and possibly three years.  The 3rd chair, 1st cornet was covered by the talented, non-music major, John Perko (from Lunenberg, Massachusetts).  The three were in the same class year.

Sylvia bore an uncanny resemblance, but more buxom version of Hollywood actress

Monica Bellucci.  (Her Father, Constantine owned a large construction company in Springfield.  It was rumored that Constantine was closely

connected to the the Boston, Patriarca Crime Family, and Mob Boss, Raymond Patriarca in particular who Constantine also resembled.  Constantine was also an excellent Baritone Horn player who fathered six children of which five were boys.  All six children were all trained by Constantine to be outstanding brass players and the entire family performed actively with both Springfield Knights of Columbus and Springfield Municipal Bands.)

The comely Sylvia tended to be somewhat shy, embarrassed easily which caused her to ‘blush’ to a noticeable degree.

Regrettably, Bob’s occasional ‘risque’ comments, hazing, and practical jokes that Sylvia suffered through that on occasion completely disrupted Symphony Band rehearsal caused Band Director, Professor Jenkins to threaten Bob with UMASS administrative ‘disciplinary action’ on one occasion, and on three occasions Professor Jenkins threw Bob out of rehearsals because Bob did not seize and desist tormenting poor dear Sylvia.

An example of an ‘over the top’ conversation that Bob had after (for a change) a John Jenkins led Symphony Band rehearsal in 1971 with the long suffering, Sylvia can be reviewed at Vienna Prostitution Scandal Travels to UMASS.

The causes of Professor Jenkins disciplinary actions against student, Bob were well deserved and always of a rather ‘risque’ nature.  A brief summary of Bob’s immature and tawdry behavior that required Professor Jenkins disciplinary intervention are as follows

• A few days after Bob and Sylvia had the conversation described within the article, Vienna Prostitution Scandal Travels to UMASS, at the beginning of a Band Rehearsal, 1st Cornetist, the always, hedonistic, John Perko to say to Sylvia, “I hear that Jerry Mirliani (who was Professor “Wally” Chesnut’s graduate teaching assistant) has some very ‘cool’ photos of you and Bob together in your dorm room”. This caused poor Sylvia to burst into tears and run out of the rehearsal room.  Bob started to laugh hysterically, which caused most of the other band members to laugh.  2 Rehearsal Suspension for Bob.
• In 1970, Bob got his hands on a naked pinup centerfold model photograph from a prominent Men’s magazine.  The naked model bore a striking facial and figurative resemblance to poor Sylvia.

Describe Sylvia’s relationship to her brothers on a John Perko UMASS Trumpet page

1. Describe Perko causing Sylvia to Cry.
2. Letter to playboy magazine
3. Topless center fold with John Perko Loves Sylvia.
4. Meeting with Jenkins and Sylvia which led to separation between them
5. letting Sylvia play solo’s without Jenkins approval

Remarkably, and probably due to the intervention of Bob’s also long suffering, trumpet teacher, Professor Walter “Wally” Chesnut, Professor Jenkins provided Bob ‘Straight A’s’ in all the many College semesters that Bob performed with the UMASS Symphony Band.