KUNIKO - kuniko plays reich - American Record Guide

Kuniko is an exciting and expressive percussionist who has performed a great variety of 20th Century music. She has made idiomatic arrangements of two pieces from Reich's "Counterpoint" series (Electric Counterpoint was originally scored for guitars; Vermont Counterpoint, for flutes) and produces a delightful multitracked recording of Six Marimbas. I cannot fault the ingenuity and care of the arrangements and am awed by her technique and musicality. Unfortunately, the percussion instruments she uses (including steel drums and marimbas) obligate her to transpose much of Electric Counterpoint up an octave, and I miss the solid foundation for the harmony that the lower notes supply in the original. On the other hand, the Vermont arrangement (scored for vibes) improves on the flute original in many ways, not least in rhythmic incisiveness.