The Spurlock Museum, Center for Advanced Study and Robert E. Brown Center for World Music celebrate 2018 Welcoming Week with a free performance by music trio Karuna.
Hamid Drake (drumset, percussion)
Ralph M. Jones (woodwinds, flutes)
Adam Rudolph (handrumset, electronics, percussion)
What makes Karuna's music magic is the special history and decades of shared experiences among Drake, Jones and Rudolph, who bring their unique and evolved rhythm and sonic languages to the fore, reaching to inspire any audience though spirited dialogue.
Deep roots were established between Hamid and Adam in 1969, when they met in a Chicago drum shop, started studying music together, and began performing regularly with the great Baba Fred Anderson by 1972. The 1974 Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival would bring Adam and Ralph together in performance in groups led by Detroit artist / mentors Kenne Cox and Charles Moore.
When Drake, Jones and Rudolph started performing together in the Moving Pictures ensemble in 1997, it was immediately clear a special chemistry was at play. Karuna reflects their ongoing research into the connection of the inner life to musical expression and speaks to the idea of creative action as a gesture of compassion.
This performance is presented as part of Improvisers Exchange, the annual CAS Initiative for 2018-19 broadly exploring the field of music improvisation.
Improvisers Exchange is a two-year initiative deeply investigating the field of music improvisation. This multifaceted program features performance and engagement residencies by leading artists representative of a wide spectrum of the practice, initiates a new performance course on improvisation for students, and promotes scholarly discourse through lectures and panel discussions.
Jason Finkelman (KCPA) and Mike Silvers (Musicology) have been appointed CAS Resident Associates for AY2018-19, which includes a graduate seminar (CAS 587) in Spring 2019.
For more information please consult cas.illinois.edu
Cosponsored by
Division of Musicology
Krannert Center for the Performing Arts
School of Music