Jamming With The Koopas

January 18, 2017 12:29 PM

Nintendo Special Big Band [SLYT] Spend an hour listening to Nintendo's jazz band jamming away at musical hits from Super Mario, Kirby, Pokemon, Fire Emblem, Donkey Kong Country, and The Legend of Zelda.

This performance is part of Nintendo's press event for its new Switch console and was recorded last week in Tokyo.

posted by Servo5678 (6 comments total)

This is great! I love this type of video game music, because it's such a strange composition challenge. If it's too exciting, too memorable, it's distracting and takes you out of the game. If it's too simple, or too hook-y, it becomes an annoying earworm and the game becomes unplayable. It has to be complex but approachable, and easily looped. It's nice to see this stuff adapted and played live.

I wish there was more information about who the musicians are- do they exist as Nintendo's band full time? Or is this a role they reprise for special events? I found this about a set from 2014, which at a glance looks like some of the same musicians (I'm looking at you, Eric Miyashiro!).
posted by Secretariat at 1:02 PM on January 18, 2017 [1 favorite]

Needs more FF6, Earthbound, and Chrono Trigger. Still pretty dang sweet though.
posted by mrjohnmuller at 1:03 PM on January 18, 2017 [2 favorites]

This is music from Nintendo games only, so they wouldn't do FF or Chrono games, though they could have done some Earthbound.
posted by Sangermaine at 1:14 PM on January 18, 2017 [2 favorites]

Speaking of video game earworms...
posted by Television Name at 2:01 PM on January 18, 2017 [3 favorites]

You forgot day one, the Nintendo rock concert!
posted by DoctorFedora at 2:48 PM on January 18, 2017

Excellent, maybe this can be the gateway for my son to appreciate jazz a bit more.
posted by OHenryPacey at 3:37 PM on January 18, 2017