The 8-Bit Big Band is a 30-65 member Jazz/Pops orchestra (led by Charlie Rosen) that formed to celebrate and realize some of the best musical themes written from various video games. The members of the 8-Bit Big Band come from all around the world, but most reside primarily in New York City, and are some of the most highly sought after musicians and performers, all gamers at heart who enjoy playing their favorite games of all time!
Charlie Rosen is extremely talented; he’s a composer and arranger, professional bass player and multi-instrumentalist and does just about everything involved in producing the 8BBB albums. He’s been playing professionally for years and has orchestrated and composed music for television, film and over a dozen Broadway shows. He’s well-versed in all manner of Big Band and Jazz, and his expanded arrangements give new life to old classics.
Together with Charlie we cover a selection of tracks from 3 full-length albums and an EP. We talk music theory, arrangement, our favorite pop cultural references and so much more in this densely packed show. It was a blast start to finish and as always, we hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Episode Track List:
All arrangements by Charlie Rosen of the 8-Bit Big Band
Soloists credits provided where available
- 0:00:05 “Bob-Omb Battlefield” Super Mario 64 (N64)
- Alto Sax – Andrew Gould
- Drums – Jared Schoenig
- Originally composed by Koji Kondo
- 0:15:28 “Athletic Theme” Super Mario World 2 – Yoshi’s Island (SNES)
- Clarinet – Felix Peikli
- Trumpet – Benny Benack III
- Trombone – Jimmy O’Connell
- Drums – Jared Schoenig
- Originally composed by Koji Kondo
- 0:26:07 “Still Alive” Portal (PC)
- Vocals – Benny Benack III
- Originally composed by Jonathan Coulton
- 0:33:53 “Luigi’s Mansion Theme” Luigi’s Mansion (GC)
- Clarinet – Mark Dover
- Originally composed by Shinobu Tanaka and Kazumi Totaka
- 0:42:21 “Aquatic Ambiance” Donkey Kong Country (SNES)
- Vocals – Danielle Gimbal
- Bassoon – Jenice Rosen
- Alto Sax – Andrew Gould
- Piano – Sydney Kjerstad
- Originally composed by David Wise
- 0:52:25 “Hydrocity Zone” Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (GEN)
- Alto Sax – Grace Kelly
- Originally composed by the Sega Sound Team
- 1:01:28 “Dire Dire Docks'” Super Mario 64 (N64)
- Bass – Charlie Rosen
- Originally composed by Koji Kondo
- 1:13:05 “Meta Knight’s Revenge” Kirby Super Star (SNES)
- Keyboard – Buttonmasher
- Originally composed by Jun Ishikawa and Dan Miyakawa
- 1:23:04 [Excerpt] “Super Mario Land Underground” Super Mario Land (GB)
- Baritone Sax – Leo P.
- Originally composed by Hirokazu “Hip” Tanaka
- 1:26:37 “K.K. Moody” Animal Crossing: New Leaf (3DS)
- Clarinet – Patrick Bartley
- Originally composed by Kazumi Totaka
- 1:33:03 [Bedding] “Birdman” Pilotwings 64 (N64)
- EWI – Zac Zinger
- Originally composed by Dan Hess
- 1:37:07 “Super Mario World End Theme” Super Mario World (SNES)
- Originally composed by Koji Kondo
Other credits:
- Engineered and Mixed by John Kilgore
- Mastered by Alan Silverman at Arf Mastering
Links to things mentioned in the show
- The 8-Bit Big Band [Website]
- Smart Game Piano [Website]
- Famikoto [YouTube] [Facebook] [Website (JP)]
- Tom Brier – Athletic Theme [YouTube]
8-Bit Big Band upcoming events
- March 25, 2022 – Howard Theater in Washington DC – Tickets
- April 3, 2022 – Grammy Awards Nominated for category 65. Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella
- Meta Knight’s Revenge (From “Kirby Superstar”) Charlie Rosen & Jake Silverman, arrangers (The 8-Bit Big Band Featuring Button Masher)
- April 9, 2022 – The Berklee Performance Center in Boston, MA – Tickets
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:41:35 — 140.1MB)