“Flashback: It’s Friday night. You and your friend have stocked up on pizza, cola, and an assortment of highly processed cheese-flavored snacks. You’ve just returned from the rental store with an armful of games. You dash down to the basement, set the TV to channel 3, and get ready for…an evening of jazz covers?

OK… OK… so maybe that’s not exactly how it went.. But as you probably know, we at iam8bit are experts at remixing & reviving nostalgic ephemera in new and unexpected ways. That’s why we’re so thrilled to present this compilation of toe-tappin’ jazz renditions from the uber-talented Blueshift Big Band.

Seriously, these musicians are smile-inducingly good, performing familiar tunes from Mario, Zelda, Sonic the Hedgehog, and more, with a decidedly magical moxie, as if from a bygone era, before video games even existed. A smokey club, dapper attire and the energetic frolic of so many instruments having a grand ol’ party — this is the stuff of Gatsby, but wayyyyy nerdier. You will absolutely fall in love with the Blueshift sound. (That’s a non-legally binding promise!)”

They will be bringing Neil Carson to conduct to some of his amazing new arrangements for the band from the Mario and Zelda series. It’s going to be great!

Joel Baer and the Blueshift Big Band Links

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