Rhythm Is Life - Redux

I heard the melodic sounds and wondered if it was the same steel drum guy that I had heard last year and featured in a blog post.  Sure enough, it was!  Cole was, once again, filling the air with his beautiful music.  He remembered our encounter and allowed me to shoot some additional photos.  While doing so, I noticed that his drum looked different.  Cole confirmed that it was the same drum, however it had just been cleaned and not all notes had been re-written on the surface.

Check out the link to last year's post to learn more about these amazing drums along with links to Cole's band.  https://jeffm211-p52.blogspot.com/2025/03/rhythm-is-life.html

Photographed 3/8/25

Rhythm Is Life 4

Sony A7Cii @ f1.4 | 1/1600 | 40mm | ISO 50

Voigtlander 40mm F1.4 Nokton Classic (adapted)

Rhythm Is Life 5

Sony A7Cii @ f1.4 | 1/1000 | 40mm | ISO 50

Voigtlander 40mm F1.4 Nokton Classic (adapted)

Rhythm Is Life

I heard the melodic sounds and thought there was a multi-piece group playing near the pool deck of our resort.  I was very surprised to find one guy playing a single steel drum that created such beautiful sound.  No multi-piece band, no synthesizer, only a microphone, amplifier and speaker.  The tablet shown held only sheet music.

I learned that these drums were handcrafted from old, abandoned oil drums in Trinidad & Tobago.  Each drum was pounded into shape and tuned to generate specific notes when struck on a specific part of the drum.  It was quite remarkable.

Many thanks to Cole for sharing his music and information.  You can check out Cole’s band at https://www.instagram.com/rhythmislifesteelband/ and https://m.youtube.com/@rhythmislifesteelband/videos.

Rhythm Is Life 1

Sony A7Cii @ f5.6 | 1/250 | 200mm | ISO 160

Tamron E 28-200mm F2.8-5.6 A071

Rhythm Is Life 2

Sony A7Cii @ f4.5 | 1/250 | 108mm | ISO 160

Tamron E 28-200mm F2.8-5.6 A071

Rhythm Is Life 3

Sony A7Cii @ f6.3 | 1/160 | 200mm | ISO 160

Tamron E 28-200mm F2.8-5.6 A071

Jammin'

Market Street
San Francisco, CA

Taken 8/18/16

Got the Beat

Via Flickr:
Redwood City Blues Jam
Little Fox
Redwood City, CA

Taken 7/18/12

Cropped and processed in b/w for SliderSunday. HSS!