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Drummer part of glue that holds community
People like Joe Ulman, a founder of the local Big Band, are the fabric of our society
Date published: 2/19/2008 By Rob Hedelt YEARS AGO, I The pipe-smoking sweetheart of a guy, lover of corny jokes, was thrilled at the prospect of talking about the group he helped found in 1966. It wasn't because it would bring him attention. This cool cat of a drummer, who helped keep alive the music of Count Basie and Benny Goodman, was adamant about keeping his name in the background of anything I wrote. But Ulman was enthusiastic about a story. He was well aware that any publicity would swell the band's audience, a group that's raised more than $1.5 million for charity over the years. The snag in scheduling an interview came when I suggested we meet for lunch. Monday? No, that was the day he was having lunch with a friend who was getting over a long illness. Tuesday? No, that was the day he caught up with pals from the FMC plant, where he worked for 35 years before going to work at Ross Music & Audio. Ditto for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of that week, when he was either taking a sick friend out, getting groceries for a shut-in or gathering to swap lies and tall tales with friends from one group or another. We eventually scheduled a chat one morning, giving up on lunchtime because he had an entire month scheduled in similar fashion. I thought about that exchange last week at the funeral of this giving 82-year-old, who preferred that his service to others stayed below the radar. Surrounded by current and past members of the Fredericksburg Big Band, it was hard not to smile as the music that Ulman loved so much was pumped through the funeral chapel before and after a touching ceremony. Friends and family of the man who loved Gene Krupa, all-you-can-eat buffets, Johnny Carson and legions of local musicians shared their thoughts on Ulman. Phil Heim was one of many who remembered favorite retorts from Ulman, noting that a doctor once asked him if he was allergic to anything. "One thing," he replied, "banjo music."
Date published: 2/19/2008
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