Sri Lanka, July 12 -- The legendary Louie Bellson once said, "Drummers are the tone of life: We are rhythm, we are timing, we are pacing". The good natured genial Hassan Musafer believed in the saying wholeheartedly. Many are the moments when we music lovers in Sri Lanka enjoyed his expertise at the drum stool despite the long hours. He had a tenacity that never flagged. But now sadly we have lost him. Hassan Musafer passed away in Hong Kong after a brief illness and to musicians and music lovers here in Sri Lanka, there will never be another Hassan.

He was drawn into the exciting world of drumming, we understand, in 1966 while he was still a student at school. He played for the band Dakotas led by Joe Jayasuriya and later moved over to ...