Pianist/composer Cat Toren conjures music as healing force and hope for the future on the second album by her exploratory quintet Human Kind. "Scintillating Beauty" evokes 60s spiritual jazz, sound healing techniques and positive activism. She writes: "Scintillating Beauty illustrates how musical improvisation is a form of conscious communication. We musicians honor the self and honor others with our musical choices, making decisions between active listening and active sound making. We choose to bring our voice to the foreground or to support another voice in the background. We can change the direction of the music, imitate another's voice, or pause in silence. While performing we aim to strip away veils and expose ourselves. Our contributions are made unique by our backgrounds and experiences..."