Times Square to 72nd

There was this odd looking guy on the uptown local standing against the train door on my commute home yesterday evening. He was playing what looked like a heavy cast iron circular instrument that I’ve never seen before. The sound it made when he tapped it reminded me a little of a steel pan but it relied on a different internal construction to produce notes. The guy wasn't performing or anything. He was just standing there and I noticed in my peripheral vision when he pulled the instrument out and these soft, clean, melodic tones began to escape beneath the white noise of the train wheels, people chatter and movement.

I was sitting next to the woman who was in the seat next to the door where he stood. She had her ear buds in. I pulled my cell phone out as well, but only so I could hit record.

You can listen to the sound here on my Soundcloud account.


Now I need to find out what that instrument was.