At AEDC, drums drive the songs

  • Published
  • By Philip Lorenz III
  • AEDC/PA
ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. --  Drums, which have their roots in antiquity and have crossed virtually all cultural boundaries, have played a major role in music, communication and even the military over the years.

Several people at Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) have been brought together by their interest in percussion, especially since Colonel James Jolliffe, the special assistant to the center commander, has offered drumming lessons at the Community Activities Center (CAC) since arriving at Arnold in 2008.

Colonel Jolliffe, who will retire next month, started playing the snare drum in the fifth grade, after taking two years of piano lessons as required by his hometown band program.

"I played in the junior high and high school concert and marching bands, the high school pep band, jazz band and accompanied the choral group," he recalls. "I gave some lessons in high school. I took a break from drumming from my junior year in college until 1999 when I bought an electronic drum set and hooked up with some folks during my assignment in Headquarters, United States European Command.

"My older brother played the drums and I looked up to him. I like classic rock and roll the best and the band I'm in - American Pie - plays that kind of music."
Most of those he has taught drum lessons to since coming to AEDC have been the children of friends and co-workers on base, but Colonel Jolliffe also counted some of the parents among his students.

Charles "Ray" McCoy, a computer-based training design engineer for ATA, has had a passion for the instrument for a long time, but only started taking lessons from Colonel Jolliffe relatively recently.

"I have always enjoyed the drums and have known all along that drums are what drive a song," said McCoy, who has been at AEDC for 12 years. When McCoy realized that buying a real drum kit was no more expensive than the cost of an X-Box game and gear, the decision was made.

"I have been playing now for about three and a half years and just enjoy putting a favorite song on my MP3 player and playing along...well, trying to play along," he said.

It seems that virtually everyone who plays a musical instrument has their share of performers who have provided the inspiration to at least consider learning how to play.

"Cozy Powell from the 1970s band Rainbow is who really inspired my style and interest in trying to improve," McCoy acknowledged. "Of course John Bonham of Led Zeppelin is another. These guys were powerful yet innovative drummers who influenced a lot of artists you hear today. They are also very difficult for me to emulate, but it is fun to attempt to play at least parts of their work."

Playing drums has its share of challenges as well as benefits, according to McCoy.

"My wife was a little skeptical at first, not to mention the fact that she learned that you can't turn the volume down," he said. "[However] learning any instrument is a great way to keep you sharp in a lot of ways. Drumming is different from other instruments in that it is very physical, and it is a great stress reliever after a long day at work. Unless you live alone, you might want well insulated walls or you might have to move into the garage."

Rosemary Matty, an investments program manager with AEDC's investment branch, decided to take drumming lessons after meeting Colonel Jolliffe.

The Winchester, Tenn., resident occasionally plays for her music ministry during mass at Good Shepherd Catholic church.

"My 15-year-old daughter also took lessons from Colonel Jolliffe," said Matty, who has been at AEDC for 29 years. "My 18-year-old daughter also took lessons years ago, [but] from someone else."

Colonel Jolliffe said his interest in drums, just like the young people and adults he has taught, has a story behind it.

"Many of my friends who play an instrument have those anecdotal stories of how they finally met some famous musician they had always admired and what that experience was like," he said. "Our small town in western Nebraska was home to Randy Meisner, the original bass player for bands Poco and The Eagles.

"His son was my younger brother's age and they were in the same grade. Randy had played in a local band in Scottsbluff, called The Dynamics, before he joined and co-founded the bands Poco and later The Eagles. I got to meet him just after he and The Eagles had returned from touring Europe in or around 1973. He was very nice and invested some of his earnings back in our hometown."

However, Colonel Jolliffe said all anecdotal stories aside, he draws his pleasure from drumming for a more personal reason.

"I enjoy teaching drums as a way to share my enjoyment with others," he said. "I think a lot of folks have, or have had, desires to make music. Here in Tennessee, I joke that it's easier to ask who does not play music than who does as that group seems to be the smaller. Music is such a great way to connect with others, whether you play, sing or listen. I'm glad I've had the chance to play and teach others about the fun of music. I like teaching and coaching as the rewards of seeing the student grasp the topic or technique is extremely rewarding."

Colonel Jolliffe said drumming is one of those shared interests that inevitably seem to bring people of different ages and backgrounds together in a place like AEDC. That is how he became acquainted with John Jordan and Jim Sheppard.

Jordan, a section manager for ATA technology and analysis branch, was in the seventh grade when he joined the Lexington Junior High School Band in North Carolina.

"I became interested in popular music during the British Invasion - the Beatles, Rolling Stones, etc. - of the early 1960s," he said.

Jordan was inspired by drummers for popular bands at the time, including Chicago's Danny Seraphine and The Rascals' Dino Danelli.

"Joe Morello of the Dave Brubeck Quartet impressed me with 'Take Five' as well as Buddy Rich," Jordan said. "I started [playing drums] in Lexington Junior High and High School marching bands, choral groups and orchestra and played in the all-state band my senior year. I played in a couple popular music groups around Lexington at local dinners and parties.

"After college graduation in 1974, my wife and I moved to middle Tennessee and I eventually joined a band with Peggy Burton and other musicians in the Tullahoma area.

"We played at various civic functions, dinners, etc.," he said. "Peggy Burton asked me to play with the Community Playhouse orchestra during their first production of 'Gypsy' in the late 1970s at the old playhouse at Northern Field."

Since then Jordan has played in numerous Tullahoma Community Playhouse production orchestras, the last one being "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" in 2009.

"I played in a recent playhouse production of 'Grease' at the Bear Hollow dinner theater in Monteagle when my daughter played the part of Rizzo," he said. "In the late 1970s, I joined The Inside Track, another popular music band. We played around Middle Tennessee at various civic organizations, wedding receptions, dinners, parties, the Officer's Club, etc. for several years."

More recently, Jordan has performed a few times with the Third Monday Jazz Jam organized by Bob Lovett at the Tullahoma Event Center.

"I continue to enjoy performing and trying to improve," Jordan acknowledged. "My wife and family have spent a number of occasions without me during performances and while I was spending way too much time practicing, especially for playhouse productions.

"My wife only complained about not having a dance partner or missing Mother's day for playhouse productions. Our daughter, Michelle, seems to think I have something to do with her love of music and performing."

Jim Sheppard, system manager in ATA's information technology section, grew up in Mississippi and developed an interest in playing the drums when he was 10.

"My first inspiration was seeing Buddy Rich on television," he said. "My favorite drummer to play along with was John Panozzo of Styx."

Like many of those at AEDC who learned to play drums when they were young, Sheppard's first few bands were with classmates in high school "and never left the garage."

"I've played in too many bands to remember," he said. "All of them were with friends or friends of friends. I still play part time.

"I find myself playing every time I have a few seconds - on hold on the phone, while writing a CD - I just can't stop."

Sheppard is still surprised at the impact his earlier musical adventures have had on his family.

"I was out with my daughter and her friends recently," he said. "She's 22 and she still tells everyone about watching her dad open for folks like Charlie Daniels and Confederate Railroad.

She was so young back then I didn't know she still remembered. My buddies Troy Holland from PMEL and Bobby Smith from IT were in that one."

Another one of Colonel Jolliffe's students is AEDC Commander Colonel Michael Panarisi.

"I've always been an 'air drummer' and my wife Rebecca thought there must be something worth pursuing after years of watching me tap on every surface around the house," Colonel Panarisi said. "We're [also] trying to get [my son] Michael interested in music, so the theory goes ... 'he'll be interested in what Daddy is interested in.'

"We really hope this helps inspire him to take an interest in music. We're not going to vector him towards a specific instrument, just expose him to the possibilities and let his interests guide him. I get to have some fun along the way, and live out my childhood passion for 'being a rock star.'"

Looking back on who impressed him when he was younger, the colonel said, "The drummer from Rush, Neal Peart, just blew me away when I was in high school ... he really makes the band."

When asked how he will put his new skills to use, Colonel Panarisi said, "[It's] just a hobby, maybe a guest appearance at Jam night [at the ALC]."

Another person who came to Colonel Jolliffe's attention through the Friday Jam Nights at the ALC was Joe Reavis, an ATA engineer-scientist with ATA's design engineering branch.

Reavis, who has been at AEDC for 56 years, first took up drumming while in junior high school.

"I was assigned to drums, [because] they were out of trumpets," he said.

Colonel Jolliffe said people like his younger students and the well established drummers like Reavis are the individuals who make playing drums worthwhile.

"He [Reavis] and I have played together at First Friday and at the third Monday Jazz Night in Tullahoma," the colonel said.

Reavis recalled some of the highlights during the many years he has played drums.

"My first band was a country band, I was 13 or 14, don't remember their name," he recalls. "They wanted to experiment with the use of a drummer in a country band. Country bands at that time did not have drummers. I only worked a couple of gigs and my parents made me stop."

Reavis has worked with approximately six bands on a steady basis over the years and presently he is playing with the South Jackson Band in Tullahoma.

"I [also] have a family of drummers - [my] son, daughter, step-son and three grandsons are drummers," he said. "Drumming is kind of a sport; you must keep the beat, lead the band, read the music, improvise and juggle all at the same time, or in today's terms, multitask."

Reavis explained that playing drums has had a much more significant impact on his life than he could have ever anticipated.

"I have made friends all over the southeast through drums and music," he said. "I have played for politicians, congressmen, senators and at beauty contests, company functions, military bases, country clubs, weddings, funerals, memorial services and honkytonks.

"When I was in high school, I played in Tullahoma for their celebration of the coming of AEDC when it was referred to as just 'The Wind Tunnel.' I was unaware of the significance of that event then and the great affect it would have on me and this area."