Trombone legend

[cih]

The great Jamaican trombonist and composer, and Alpha Boys’ School alumni and teacher Don Drummond, who before he helped establish ska as the national music was regarded as one of the most intelligent jazz musicians in Jamaica, is one of my longest standing musical loves.

Anyway... On the back of one of his Studio One lps it says that he won the praise of JJ Johnson, and all over the place you can read that Sarah Vaughan, with whom he apparently performed in the early fifties rated him very highly, as did George Shearing. Does anyone have any information (like actual quotes) on what these musicians said about him? Or is anyone else a fan? These Jamaican produced lps are charmingly scant on accurate information, correct spellings, correct track listings etc etc and a lot of the online texts inevitably dwell more on the tragic and sensational aspects of his short life.

Edited June 16, 2010 by cih

[Guest Bill Barton]

No info to add... But count me in as a big fan.

[Tom Cat]

count me too, actually i'm a big fan of the jamaican musical scene from the 60's and early 70's

[cih]

thanks guys - after more searching all I can find is a quote from Tommy McCook:

“Don came on the scene initially about ’52. He became very popular and was playing with good bands at the time.

He was a member of the band that backed Sarah Vaughan when she came to Jamaica and performed at the Glass Bucket club. She heard him for the first time and told the Jamaican public that she figured that he was rated in the first five in the world. From then on Don lived up to what Sarah said – he was even thought of at one time as being the best in the world. His tone on the trombone, his approach, everything was so perfect. I considered him a genius on his instrument. Even other players of the instrument expressed this, and they should know.”

Also mention that he was friends with Dave Brubeck after playing with him in Kingston. And a memory from Jamaican ex-Prime minister PJ Patterson of a cutting contest between Drummond and ex-bandmate Ernest Ranglin: "Ernie sent for his instrument and as the band played a tune called "Indian Summer," they dueled for nearly an hour, Don on trombone and Ernie on guitar as each matched the other’s portion. Everybody stopped dancing and retreated to the side to applaud this battle royal as neither would give up."

Not that these endorsements from more internationally known 'stars' add anything to his worth, which speaks for itself, but I think it's interesting ...