| Jazz moderne |
Jazzing Up the Joystick: The 8-Bit Big Band Returns With a Monumental Tribute to Video Game Music.
Each year, like clockwork, a musician, a big band, or a collective emerges with a jazz reinterpretation of video game music. It’s a niche that tends to spark more curiosity than genuine enthusiasm,these original compositions are typically rhythmically formulaic, designed less for artistic depth than to keep players alert and engaged. As a result, they’ve come to form a genre of their own,one that tends to appeal mainly to gamers with a foot in the world of jazz.
Enter Orchestrator Emulator, the fifth studio album from Grammy-winning composer, conductor, and multi-instrumentalist Charlie Rosen and his 8-Bit Big Band. Slated for release on July 18, 2025, via Teamchuck, this ambitious new project offers something more than nostalgia: it’s a technical tour de force that required partial rewrites of well-known gaming themes. Super Mario fans, rejoice—but they’re not the only ones invited to this party.
At the helm of this “musical PlayStation,” Rosen leads a studio orchestra and a contemporary big band of over 90 of New York’s top-tier musicians. Known for his prolific work on Broadway, in film, and on television, with more than two dozen credits to his name, Rosen has, since founding the 8-Bit Big Band in 2017, carved out a singular space at the intersection of jazz and gaming culture. With two Grammy nominations and one win under his belt, he’s turned what might have been a novelty act into a creative force. As All About Jazz noted after a 2020 Berklee performance, “Rosen and his 8-Bit Big Band unveiled orchestral arrangements of surprising richness and complexity, transforming simple video game themes into daring explorations of jazz innovation.”
From a listener’s perspective, the arrangements here are undeniably superb. Yet digesting the entire album in one sitting proved challenging, not for lack of talent, but due to the inherent nature of the source material. These themes, while expertly adapted and at times enhanced by brilliant instrumental solos, were never meant for extended, focused listening. Still, the craftsmanship is undeniable, and the album stands as a fascinating curiosity.
Clearly, this is a record tailored to a specific audience. Since its inception over eight years ago, the 8-Bit Big Band has evolved from quirky concept to full-blown internet phenomenon. With nearly 400,000 subscribers across YouTube and Instagram, the ensemble has captivated both musicians and gamers alike. Their meticulously crafted videos frequently garner millions of views, and their success has translated into real-world acclaim, with sold-out shows at premier venues across the Northeastern U.S. Media outlets including NPR, The New York Times, and Forbes have taken note, while Jazziz went so far as to say the group is “redefining the modern big band.” Their growing influence reached a peak in 2022 when Rosen and collaborator Jake Silverman won a Grammy Award for Best Arrangement (Instrumental or A Cappella) for their rendition of “Meta Knight’s Revenge” from the acclaimed third album Backwards Compatible.
Still, this latest effort left me only partially convinced. Admirable in its ambition and execution, Orchestrator Emulator might not win over traditional jazz purists, but it will likely delight fans of the genre it celebrates. At its heart, the 8-Bit Big Band remains committed to its mission: “to restore video game music to its rightful place in the world of serious musical art.” As Rosen puts it, “These songs, once confined to short loops and sonic limitations, deserve to be reimagined, revered, and performed with the same respect given to any great American music. This album is part of our ongoing effort to build what we now call the Great Video Game Songbook.”
It may not have wholly won me over, but it certainly earned my admiration, and, more than once, a smile. The dedication and sheer musical effort behind this project are nothing short of extraordinary.
Thierry De Clemensat
Member at Jazz Journalists Association
USA correspondent for Paris-Move and ABS magazine
Editor in chief – Bayou Blue Radio, Bayou Blue News
PARIS-MOVE, July 9th 2025
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To buy this album (and full album credit)
Tracklist :
- Intro to Album 5
- Wii Sports Theme – from “Wii Sports”
- Brinstar – from “Metroid”
- Super Mario Bros. 3 Overworld Theme – from “Super Mario Bros 3”
- Kass’s Theme – from “The Legend of Zelda – Breath of the Wild”
- Waluigi Pinball (ft. Matthew Whitaker) – from “Mario Kart”
- No More What Ifs (ft. Martina DaSilva) – from “Persona 5”
- Super Mario World Overworld Theme – from “Super Mario World”
- Space Junk Road – from “Super Mario Galaxy”
- Tokyo Daylight (ft. Andy Arthur Smith) – from “Persona 5”
- Casino Night Zone – from “Sonic The Hedgehog 2”
- Megalovania – from “Undertale”
- Super Mario Praise Break – themes from various Mario titles
- Kass’s Theme (Choro Version) – from “The Legend of Zelda – Breath of the Wild”