Walk in Beauty is the fourth installment in Peter Kater’s Healing Series, which began in 1997 with Essence and then Compassion in 1998. The CD cover states that this is “music for balance, integrity, grace, right action, and right relations”; I would add the obvious “relaxation and pure listening pleasure” to that list. Kater often collaborates with Native American musicians, and this time Joseph Firecrow contributes his haunting Native American flutes to Kater’s piano and keyboards. Richard Hardy on soprano saxophone and Pete Korpela on percussion round out this very impressive, expressive ensemble. Many recordings of this type are ambient and “floaty,” but Walk in Beauty has a definitely pulse and several of the eight pieces are quite melodic. I have always been amazed at how prolific Peter Kater is, and even with the volume of his output, he never disappoints.

The title track opens the CD with Native American drums and light percussion. Kater enters with a dark, mysterious piano line which becomes even more haunting as Firecrow adds his flute; Richard Hardy’s sax lines here and there sweeten the piece to perfection. A gorgeous beginning! “Beautiful Heart” is a bit more abstract, with spoken words in a Native tongue and a lovely interplay between the piano and flute. “Sweet Embrace” is a piece to get totally lost in. Very slow and serene, synth washes enhance the graceful tranquility of piano, flute, and sax as they weave their magic. “Dancing With The Moon” picks up the pace a bit with gentle percussion behind flowing piano, flute, and sax. “Always Find Me Here” is a quiet yet deeply passionate duet for piano and flute. A bit on the melancholy side, this is a favorite! “The Good Road” is also exceptional with more prominent percussion, haunting flutes, and synth washes - hypnotic.

As always, Peter Kater has done a masterful job with Walk in Beauty. It is available from peterkater.com, cdbaby.com, amazon.com in both CD and an MP3 formats, and iTunes. Recommended!