MIGRATION pairs acclaimed Native American flute master R. Carlos Nakai with pianist Peter Kater for a set of very delicate, soothing instrumental music. With titles like "Initiation," "Surrender," "Lighting the Flame," MIGRATION clearly serves as a kind of soundtrack for spiritual rites, yet the music is free-form, organic, and flowing, with none of the formality that an album with titles of this sort might suggest.
The compositions are based largely around Kater's expressive piano, with Nakai lending flute, sung or spoken word accompaniment, and various Native American instrumentation. The arrangements are spacious, with never a busy moment, so the listener has plenty of room to relax and drift away on these lilting improvisations. The marriage of Kater's European-derived classical playing and Nakai's indigenous American flavor is intriguing, and adds spice to this lovely, moving music.