Orchestrator Emulator (Not On Label)
The 8-Bit Big Band
Released July 18, 2025
Grammy Nominee for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album 2026
YouTube:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nA7gvviDsQUMK2TgGQpU7gfdTgZ2gczBc
Spotify:
About:
We at The 8-Bit Big Band are incredibly excited and proud to release this 5th studio album which continues to celebrate some of video game music’s most iconic melodies through the full pallet of sounds available to us through large ensemble Jazz orchestra!
The album opens with “Intro to Album 5,” a bold horn-fanfare overture that sets the tone for the epic scale and sonic ambition to come. It functions like a cinematic prelude, an invitation into the world of video game music, reimagined through the lens of large ensemble jazz.
We launch right into the “Wii Sports Theme”, one of the most iconic and beloved themes from the Nintendo Wii era. Our version pays loving tribute to the orchestration style of Earth, Wind &
Fire’s “In the Stone,” channeling Jerry Hey’s legendary horn writing. Just as that track opened one of EWF’s most celebrated albums, our arrangement brings similar funk and disco-infused brass energy to a theme that lives rent-free in the memories of millions who swung virtual tennis rackets and bowled strikes in their living rooms.
Next up is “Brinstar,” the eerie title theme from Metroid, a franchise known for its atmospheric sci-fi world and sense of isolation. In our version, the horn section blasts this cosmic melody over a shuffle groove, creating a march through the stars that’s both adventurous and cinematic, fitting for one of gaming’s most iconic space-faring series.
Then it’s on to the “Overworld Theme” from Super Mario Bros. 3, the unforgettable melody that kicks off the first level of one of the most celebrated entries in the NES Mario trilogy. Our arrangement embraces a swing shuffle feel, giving a Jazz shuffle to a theme deeply embedded in the minds of anyone who’s ever grabbed a Super Leaf.
“Kass’s Theme” from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is next. In the game, this waltz is performed by the wandering accordionist Kass as a musical reward for completing his side quests. We reimagine it here with a vibrant Afro-Cuban twist, featuring fiery solos by the extraordinary Michael Rodriguez (trumpet) and Rob Edwards (trombone). It’s a celebration of a fan-favorite theme through rhythm and brass.
We’re beyond thrilled to welcome keyboard and organ virtuoso Matthew Whitaker to the band for “Waluigi Pinball,” a funky favorite from the Mario Kart DS soundtrack. Inspired by Herbie Hancock’s “Chameleon,” this arrangement is driven by Matthew’s electrifying work on the Hammond B3, transforming a high-octane kart racing theme into a groove-heavy jam.
“No More What Ifs,” a beautiful Bossa Nova ballad from Persona 5, stands out in the game’s already genre-blending soundtrack. Our arrangement extends the original with lush harmonies and a featured vocal performance by the velvety-voiced Martina DaSilva, capturing the moody elegance of this fan-favorite title.
We return once again to the Mushroom Kingdom with the “Athletic Theme” this time from Super Mario World, a bouncy 2-feel tune that originally accompanied Mario’s early levels on the SNES. Our version draws inspiration from Neil Hefti’s “Li’l Darlin,” transforming the theme into a smooth mid-century big band ballad featuring a warm and lyrical trombone solo by Javier Nero.
From Super Mario Galaxy, “Space Junk Road” is a haunting melody that underscores the lonely beauty of drifting through the cosmos. In our hands, it becomes a sweeping, contemporary jazz ballad led by Sam Dillon on soprano saxophone, capturing both the isolation and the wonder of the original.
“Tokyo Daylight,” from Persona 5, is a breezy tune that plays during downtime in the bustling city of Tokyo. Here it features the dazzling Andy Arthur Smith, a social media vocal phenom known for his virtuosic musical comedy and razor-sharp pitch. This arrangement shows off his playful brilliance through wild scat singing and fearless vocal acrobatics.
From Sonic the Hedgehog 2, “Casino Night Zone” is one of the franchise’s most beloved stage themes. Originally constrained to a single minute of looping music on the Genesis’ sound chip, we give it a full big band swing treatment, letting the brass breathe and the groove stretch out just like it always wanted to.
Then comes “Megalovania,” the barnstorming theme from Undertale, a game that’s become a cultural phenomenon since its 2015 release. This arrangement cranks up the intensity, fusing epic film score bombast with Rage Against the Machine energy. With three bass trombones, a cimbasso, bass sax, tuba, French horns, and a full complement of trumpets and trombones, the low brass sound is truly seismic.
We close the album with “Super Mario Praise Break,” a gospel tribute medley featuring several of the most iconic themes from the Mario universe. Co-produced by Matthew Whitaker and Grammy/Tony Award-winning arranger Bryan Carter, this track is a joyous, church-like celebration of the sacred space video games have created for so many as a place of escape, of comfort, and of community.
As a bonus track, we return one final time to “Kass’s Theme”. This time reinterpreted in the Brazilian style of Choro, in collaboration with the phenomenal musicians of Regional Samaúma. It’s a nod to the global power of video game music to inspire across cultures and genres.
At The 8-Bit Big Band, our mission has always been to elevate the music of video games to its rightful place in the world of serious musical artistry. These songs, once confined to background loops and limited sound chips, deserve to be reimagined, revered, and performed with the same respect given to any great work of American music. This album is our continued effort to build what we’ve come to call The Great Video Game Songbook. We hope it brings you joy, nostalgia, surprise, and a reminder of just how deep this well of creativity in the Great Video Game Songbook truly goes.
Track Listing:
1. Intro to Album 5 0:17
2. Wii Sports Theme (From “Wii Sports”) – soloists: Andrew Gould, Brian Sheu 3:29
3. Brinstar (From “Metroid”) 3:38
4. Super Mario Bros. 3 Overworld Theme (From “SMB3”) – soloist: Javier Nero 3:22
5. Kass’s Theme (From “Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild”) – soloist: Michael Rodriguez, Robert Edwards (12), Wilson Torres (2) 5:01
6. Waluigi Pinball (From “Mario Kart”) ft. Matthew Whitaker – soloist: Matthew Whitaker 5:57
7. No More What Ifs (From “Persona 5”) ft. Martina DaSilva – soloist: Sam Dillon; vocals: Martina DaSilva 4:23
8. Super Mario World Athletic Theme (From “Super Mario World”) – soloist: Javier Nero 4:15
9. Space Junk Road (From “Super Mario Galaxy”) – soloist: Sam Dillon; soprano vocals: Danielle Gimbal 5:26
10. Tokyo Daylight (From “Persona 5”) ft. Andy Arthur Smith – vocals: Andy Arthur Smith 4:27
11. Casino Night Zone (From “Sonic the Hedgehog 2”) – soloist: Sam Dillon 3:36
12. Megalovania (From “Undertale”) – soloist: Marcos Robinson 4:31
13. Super Mario Praise Break (Var. Mario Titles) – bass: Marcus Reddick; co-producer: Bryan Carter, Matthew Whitaker; drums: Marques Walls; guitar: Marcos Robinson; organ: Matthew Whitaker; piano: Mike Mitchell; soloist: Andrew Gould 4:48
14. Bonus Track: Kass’s Theme (Choro Version) – 7-string acoustic guitar: Vitor Sampaio; accordion: Benjamin Rosenblum; cavaquinho: Fernanda Da Silveira; chorus: Regional Samaúma; clarinet: Mark Dover; mandolin: Ian Coury 2:44
Personnel:
Charlie Rosen: band leader, producer and arranger
Alto Saxes: Andrew Gould, Emily Pecoraro, Dave Pollack, Zac Zinger, Jordan Pettay
Tenor Saxes: Sam Dillon, Zac Zinger, Lucas Pino, Paul Jones
Baritone Saxes: Adison Evans, Andrew Gutauskas
Bass Sax: Andrew Hadro
Flutes: Andrew Gould, Emily Pecoraro, Dave Pollack, Lucas Pino, Jordan Pettay
Clarinets: Sam Dillon, Zac Zinger, Paul Jones
Bass Clarinet: Adison Evans, Andrew Gutauskas
Trumpets: Bryan Davis, John lake, Danny Jonokuchi, Wayne Tucker, Jay Webb, Gabe Medd, Liesl Whitaker, Kenny Rampton, Chloe Rowlands, Nick Frenay
Trombones: Jimmy O’Connell, Robert Edwards, Javier Nero, Mariel Bildsten
Bass Trombones: Reginald Chapman III, Rebecca Patterson, Jacob Melsha, Ron Wilkins
French Horn: Kyra Sims, Judy Lee
Tuba: Kenny Bentley, Reginald Chapman III (also Cimbasso track 12)
Violins: Tomoko Akaboshi, Caroline Cassio, Maria Im, Eli Bishop, Daniel Constant, Francesca Dardani, Nicole Wright, Lucy Voin, Lavinia Pavlish, Kevin Kuh, Hannah LeGrand, Chris Baum, Tessa Sacramone, Josh Henderson, Danielle Giulini, Meitar Forkosh, Maria Im
Violas: Laura Sacks, Tia Allen, Sunday Jayaram, Kayla Williams, Jarvis Benson, Jay Julio, Nicole Wright, Sarah Haimes, Yumi Oshima, Midori Witkoski
Celli: Sasha Ono, Zach Brown, Jessica Wang, Terrence Thornhill, Chad Schwartz, Sam Quiggins, Susan Mandel
Guitar: Charlie Rosen, Marcos Robinson, Brian Sheu
Piano/Keyboards: Natalie Tenenbaum, Michael Mitchell, Miki Yamanaka, Matthew Whitaker
Bass: Adam Neely, Julia Adamy, Charlie Rosen, Michael Olatuja
Drums: Jared Schonig, Bryan Carter, Marques Walls
Harp: Liann Cline
Recorded at The Powerstation Studios NYC,
Recording and Mixing engineer: John Kilgore
Addl recording engineers: Brett Mayer, Ben Miller, Matthew Soares, Michael Hickey, Henry Reinach
Mastering engineer: Alan Silverman
Album Artwork by Mike KILLUZ
Review:
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 (Paris-Move)
