Hamid Drake and Adam Rudolph met at the age of 14 years old in a downtown Chicago drum shop. For the past 40 years, their shared love for rhythms and musics of the world has taken them around the world in performing together with Fred Anderson, Don Cherry, Yusef Lateef, Pharaoh Sanders, Hassan Hakmoun, Hu: Vibrational, Mandingo Griot Society, and Adam Rudolph's Moving Pictures among others.Their shared Chicago roots and the creative outlook, longtime global music research and performing experience have allowed them to forge a uniquely shared musical understanding and creative outlook. As Drake reflected upon their influence upon each other, "I have been developing a hand drum concept on the drum set while Adam says he is developing a drum set concept on his hand drums. We understand one another."

With their new Karuna duet Drake and Rudolph bring their unique and evolved rhythm languages to the fore, reaching to inspire any audience though spirited dialogue. The name 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.

[source: Bop Shop website, 2019-Sep-23]