The percussionist
Kuniko
's 2012 album
Kuniko Plays Reich
was a great success, and it may be that only other interesting projects in the meantime have stopped her from recording a sequel. Those wondering whether
Steve Reich
was down with the idea will note here that
's arrangements were devised in consultation with the composer, who also contributes general notes about the four pieces. It is hard not to think that percussion adds a fascinating new layer to the music.
plays it all: marimba, vibraphone, and maracas on
Four Organs
, and she plays the organ (one) on the latter, to boot. All the interpretations have their intriguing aspects, but
Piano Phase
,
Reich
's groundbreaking 1967 work, is arguably the best, with the vibraphone resonances giving the listener the sensation of entering a hall of mirrors or, perhaps, the viewing platform at one of
Yayoi Kusama
's Infinity Room exhibitions. The
Linn
label's engineers outdo themselves at the Kanagawa Art Hall in Yokohama with just the right amount of space for the performer. Anyone thinking this is a footnote in the
discography would be very wrong. ~ James Manheim