In the world of music, few names resonate with the raw emotion and tragic brilliance of Don Drummond. A virtuoso trombonist and  founding member of The Skatalites, Drummond was a pivotal figure in shaping Jamaican music as we know it today. His life was a roaring symphony of atmospheric highs and hellish lows, and now, his story of genius and turmoil has been immortalized in Adam Reeves’ riveting comic, Trombone Man: Ska’s Fallen Genius. 

Reeves’ beautiful telling of Don Drummond’s life is more than just a biography—it’s a heartfelt exploration of Don Drummond’s soul that retraces his steps in incredible detail through the artwork of Constantinos Pissouris. Each panel beautifully blends a sense of realism with a unique and stylized approach that offers a window into the man behind the music, including his triumphs, his struggles, and his indelible mark on the world of Jamaican music.

To delve deeper into the creation of this remarkable work, I sat down with Reeves to discuss his inspiration for bringing Drummond’s story to life, uniting the matrimony between art and storytelling and, of course, his knowledge of ska music. While he might not claim to be a historian, Reeves filled my mind with a rich and stirring history, painting a vivid picture of the musical and cultural landscape that shaped the life of ska’s musical maverick.

Our conversation started with Reeves reminiscing back to 1982 in Southern France where he heard a mixtape featuring “Al Capone” by Prince Buster (which he instantly recognized as “Gangsters” by The Specials,) but it was the song’s B-side, “One Step Beyond,” (later covered by the English ska band, Madness) that really perked his ears. Turning back the clock, he explained, “There’s something about those recordings that sound kind of from another time and place. There’s a rough, raw readiness to them. They sound like they recorded in a shack on a back street. Maybe I didn’t intellectualize it like that, but I felt like, wow, this is something raw.”

Adam Reeves

Five years passed, and Reeves’ love for reggae and ska deepened. Then, one day, he heard The Skatalites and Don Drummond’s soulful trombone for the first time in a street market record store and everything changed. “By that time I was into reggae and the instrumental stuff, but when I heard The Skatalites properly, I was like, okay, this is the sound I really, really like. I thought it was the greatest thing I’d ever heard and I still do. To me, it’s just that sound, that early to mid 60s ska, jazz, instrumental sound, is part of my DNA, my musical DNA. It’s in my soul.”

Eventually, Reeves’ love for the music blossomed into a curiosity for learning the history of reggae. That’s when he discovered that the roots of Jamaican music trace back to one place: The Alpha Boys School in Kingston. This Roman Catholic school led by nuns helped foster a musical education to Jamaican legends such as Winston Foster (better known as Yellowman), Johnny Osbourne, Bobby Ellis, Rico Rodriguez, and of course, Don Drummond and three other founding members of The Skatalites, Tommy McCook, Johnny “Dizzy” Moore, and Lester Sterling. 

It must be noted that Sister Mary Ignatius, who headed Alpha’s music department for decades, played a massive role in each of their lives and could be considered the foundation of support for each of these musical icons. However, while Reeves was studying to be a journalist, Sister Ignatius passed away in 2003. He further explains that she wasn’t only an inspiration for musical legends but also for him. “I became fascinated by her and her story to the point of obsession. So I wanted to tell her story.”

This eventually led Reeves to idealize a documentary based on the life of Sister Ignatius and her influence within the Alpha Boys School. However, this was much more of an undertaking than he had envisioned, and he abandoned the idea. However, in 2007, he and a four-man camera crew captured the only reunion of the Alpha Boys in London, though he admits the show was poorly promoted and did not draw the biggest crowd.

About seven years later, in 2014, he connected with Heather Augustyn, a professor of literature and author of several full-length books on Jamaican music, including one about Don Drummond which eventually served as the basis for the graphic novel. Augustyn’s biography on Drummond proved to be a wealth of knowledge because, up until then, much of Drummond’s life was shrouded in a haze of rumor with minimal information other than his tragic demise with  him killing his wife and dying in a mental asylum. Together, Reeves and Augustyn penned a book, Alpha Boys’ School: Cradle of Jamaican Music. Reeves stated that this was on a shoestring budget and they independently published the book in 2018. Despite this, he described it as an overwhelmingly positive experience.

After a year of promoting Alpha Boys’ School, the idea of creating a comic series on the history of Don Drummond’s life hit Reeves out of the blue. He knew he would have to balance the facts of Drummond’s grim tale without glamorizing it.  He also wanted to make sure to mention all those who played a role in his life, most of which were women, from his lover, Anita “Margarita” Mahfood (known widely in Jamaica as “The Rhumba Queen”), to his mother and grandmother, and of course Sister Ignatius. 

“Behind great men are great women, and they often get sidelined. So I thought I’m gonna tell a story that’s about [Drummond], but also the women that were around him. And once I kind of got that down, that was my motive.”

Drummond’s perseverance was something that stuck out to him. “I think he had a very brutal life. I mean if there’s any romance, it’s him giving birth to a sound when everything is stacked against him. Not just him, but everyone else who made that music at that time. The kids who went to Alpha Boys School were from some of the toughest streets in the world. They all had really difficult backgrounds, lots of social problems, and a lot of deprivation. They made their way to the Alpha Boys School because they were in trouble with the police, had behavioral problems, or whatever else… and then found their way to music.”

The first issue, Barefoot Boy, which was crowdfunded on Kickstarter in November 2022 with the help of the global ska and reggae fanbase and printed in early 2024, begins with two prologues. The first portrays the death of Don Drummond in the bleak, colorless corridors of Bellevue Hospital. Drummond’s lifeless body lies motionless on a bed, while a spectral figure holding a trombone hovers above him. Meanwhile, a guard prods Drummond with a nightstick to check if he’s still alive. This striking contrast between the spiritual and the grim reality is mysterious and stark. The second prologue shows a radio DJ delivering the news of Drummond’s death to the public in a strong Patois dialect. With sweat on his brow, you can practically hear the parched apprehension in his voice. 

Both of these prologues highlight the distinct style of Constantinos Pissouris. With each character’s ears primed and tuned to the radio, they react to the news, the weight sinking heavily onto their anguished faces and distraught eyes. Pissouris, heavily influenced by the sounds of reggae music, masterfully paints something that feels authentically divine with each pen stroke feeling ethereal and, at times, otherworldly.

One panel at the end that sends goosebumps down the spine involves Drummond discovering the power of the trombone for the first time. Thus far, almost all of his childhood is portrayed in a muted monochrome, but here we find Drummond in his first few days of the Alpha Boys School, and Pissouris drenches Drummond’s mind and soul with color as the music spreads through Drummond’s being. As the sounds of the horn seep into his ears, his eyes widen with wonder and disbelief while the world around him melts away.

Mixing black and white with color is nothing new in comics, but Reeves wanted to portray music and the arcane mysticism it provides in a fresh and new way. “Drummond is often referred to as Don Cosmic, so I wanted to take that and kind of the idea of a connection to the cosmos, the stars, and show him channeling this cosmic energy.” In some ways, this splash of color can be interpreted as manifestation, unlocking the makings of what Drummond is soon to become, like a celestial cloud of inspiration, billowing within his battered mind.

To further add to the authenticity, Reeves’ choice of writing most character dialogue in Patois adds a layer of cultural richness to the pages, preserving the essence of Jamaican life and the island’s linguistic heritage. Reeves admits he had to take some liberties  when interpreting the language for readers, because if it were directly translated into Patois, many readers would need a lesson in how to properly read the language. However, phonetically speaking, Reeves’ provides a faithful and rhythmic translation for readers to enjoy.

Don Drummond’s story is one of triumph, tragedy, and musical genius—one that deserves to be shared with the world. Adam Reeves and Constantinos Pissouris beautifully craft the essence of Drummond’s life with poise and purpose while bringing the heartache, brilliance and raw emotion in Drummond’s journey to life. 

This project is no small endeavor, therefore Reeves turned to Kickstarter once again to raise awareness of the project and gain support for the second issue.  Music is My Occupation. If funded, this issue is due to come out later in the year. Not only is this a way to support a timeless project, but it’s an invitation to become part of the story and to play a role in preserving musical history and celebrate the life of Don Drummond.

Additional excerpts from Trombone Man: