Popular Science

This set features the duets of Henry Kaiser and the late Russian keyboardist Sergei Kuriokhin. Both play Synclavier keyboards, with the former also playing guitar. The pieces range from the friendly strut of "Rattlesnake Round-Up" to the wacky hoedown of "Electricity Vs. Foods." "The Concept Of Concept" starts off as a bluesy reverie as played by Kaiser, who hands it over to Kuriokhin, easing it into a classically evocative European landscape. The two men each spoke little of the other's native tongue, and perhaps because of that linguistic barrier, communicated all the more effectively as improvising musicians. A warm friendliness runs throughout this entire CD, and for anyone unfamiliar with or wary of the world of improvised music, POPULAR SCIENCE makes for a most hospitable entry point.