OCR01466 - Super Mario Bros. 2 'Gypsy Jazz'

[djpretzel]

What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix.

[wormguy]

I enjoyed this Remix thoroughly. The author obviously knew what he was doing, the original melody was correct down to the last note,and the improvisation is near perfect. Not the most interpretive or daring remix, but as the mighty TO said, the charm is all there. Definitely recommended. Of course, if you have something against acoustic guitars, don't even bother listening.

[ILLiterate]

Makes me happy, now I feel like skipping in flowers

Only small problem I see bothering people is how the first half if pretty much source material, but I'm no remix nazi so this doesn't bother me at all

GG

[DJ Skratch 'n' Sniff]

I was skeptical... am not anymore.

If he's truly using a plain old steel string guitar, I am even further impressed. Very cool sounding.

I could've gone with some light paradiddles or something further through the tune but, hey, that's just me.

[POCKETMAN]

I liked it quite a bit. However, I would have loved it if it was not quite so bland. Mabye some more instruments.

[Nateconq]

Great, relaxing remix. Love the acoustic guitar!

[lady zelda]

I really love the laid-back atmosphere of this mix. Great for chilling out. Some amazing acoustic guitar going there with some true skill. The improvisation is truly genius (I'm always blown away by those). Wonderful. Keep it up!

[zircon]

This is a really great track that I enjoyed quite a bit. One thing that endears it to me is that it's very similar stylistically to the kind of music that the television show MONK tends to play throughout the shows. Anyone who has watched it will know what I'm talking about. You could seriously sub this in for the old theme song (written by Jeff Beal) and it would fit perfectly.

[GregCaldwell]

Very easy and pleasing to listen to, my favorite remix of this theme so far.

[watkinzez]

Posted exactly four years after Estradasphere's take on the theme. Nice.

Charm really is the word here. Not abstract enough that I'd call it gypsy, but really well played. It's interesting how this mix does indeed have similar structure to SuperBuckJazz, following through the source and then doing their own solo. When played side by side they feed off each other. Fun.

[Less Ashamed Of Self]

Gorgeous.

I'm a fan of all things accoustic hitting this site and this is above and beyond what I originally expected. When it hit the ending I had to exclaim: "FREAKING right man!" and lunged for a re-play. A welcome addition to OCR.

[meccaneer]

Thanks to Adrian for not sucking at guitar (I am sooooo sick of all the acoustic doodling that goes on in coffee shops across the country). I really dig this mix: it's fun and well constructed. I especially appreciate the use of the sound field. I prolly would have thrown in some slaps or some scat and lengthened the whole thing, but, hey, it sounds good as is.

[Mono]

Reading the words "gypsy jazz" and "Django Reinhardt", I had high hopes, and Mr Holovaty doesn't disappoint. All that's missing is some Stephane Grappelli violin. Very nice.

[DUCKB0Y]

This is pretty awesome. The sound of it all reminds me of the intro/credits music that's in a lot of Pixar's short films.

[carps]

I love how this mix is not only great to listen to, but it doesn't draw too much attention to itself. I could easily see this used as the soundtrack for a short film. Very nice!

[Abadoss]

My brother is a professional latin/jazz guitarist, so when I say this, I want you to know that I have spent a good deal of time on my credibility for such a comment. This is absolutely and perfectly in line with the style and I think you did an incredible job here. This is now one of my favorites. Wonderful work!

[Jens Wulvik]

Reminds of the jazz music on Mafia, City of lost heaven. Very cheerful, makes me happy :D

[PriZm]

I think 'charming' is the most appropriate word here. Nothing groundbreaking or fantastic, but it does put a smile on your face.

My only problem is that production and playing issues would have been pretty easily fixed. Oh well...

[adrian]

Thanks to everyone for the great feedback! This disclaimer didn't make it into my submission, but I recorded this in a couple of hours with a lousy computer microphone. I'm aware of the lousy sound quality. :)

--Adrian H.

EDIT: One more quick comment: This is three guitar tracks -- two rhythm and one lead. They're all the same instrument, the Gitane DG-250M gypsy-style acoustic guitar (http://www.sagamusic.com/article.asp?ID=52). I'd highly recommended the Gitane for anybody into this style of music!

[DJ Skratch 'n' Sniff]

One more quick comment: This is three guitar tracks -- two rhythm and one lead. They're all the same instrument, the Gitane DG-250M gypsy-style acoustic guitar (http://www.sagamusic.com/article.asp?ID=52). I'd highly recommended the Gitane for anybody into this style of music!

Ha! I knew it wasn't a plain old steel string! I thought it may have been a dobro or something.

Also: the "lousy" quality gives it a unique charm. It might sound kind of crappy if it were over-produced.

Anywho, sweet job. We need more acoutic work on this site; I hope you plan on submitting more.

[Durinthal]

Reading the words "gypsy jazz" and "Django Reinhardt", I had high hopes, and Mr Holovaty doesn't disappoint. All that's missing is some Stephane Grappelli violin. Very nice.
I agree wholeheartedly. If I didn't know the theme I'd put it right up there as another song from Django.

[Darklink42]

Actually, listening to it I got the feeling of playing Mario Sunshine all over again. It's got that same tropical laid-back feeling. Over all, I'm impressed. Even the fact that the first half or so was practically direct doesn't take away at all, but actually lends to it's feeling. I could listen to this even on a rainy day and feel like I was sitting on a porch somewhere sipping lemonade. Good stuff.

[Fusilliban]

This is quite excellent.

I hope the artist takes it as a complement when I say that it kind of makes me want to giggle a little.

I still eagerly await Geoffrey Taucer's acoustic CT mix being posted.

[chokst~1.bat]

Some of those high notes sound really bad when you're picking at them too hard. :lol:

This was kinda fun, as I like the melody of the original (liked the way you played 0:26). I would have never imagined this would pass the panel, considering how easy it would be to record something like this on the fly. Makes me want to crack out my guitar and play some song randomly with two channels and see if it would pass the panel as well - haha.

I would have liked it you changed up the baseline groove/beat somewhere to make this song feel more complete. The 1:08 section is a good start to give a little bit of a nice contrast, but the overall experience still doesn't feel like a complete song to me, more like a run-on or like part of a song. Needs a more distinctive bridge, in my opinion.

Heh. Personally, I'm not really a fan of using short-release leads for 100% of a song, they don't sound very full, especially without some kind of reverb of a full sounding instrument to back them up, but I guess it would destroy the point of the goofy-twangy-gypsy feel to let the notes sustain every once in a while.

Pretty ok little recording experiment to hear though anyway, a fun little change of style from the original.

[Shael Riley]

This fucking rules, man.

It's too good to reductionistly analyze.

[Dj_Qbert]

This song is awsome. Love every second of it. :D :D

[Mustin]

Fan Fan Fan Fantastic work here. Glad to hear something like this on OCR - it's been a long time.

Great work, Holovaty. I hope we can hear some more great talent from you in the future. If The OneUps ever come to a city near you, we'd love for you to sit in on some tunes.

Great chops, great arrangement, fun tune. One of my favourites for sure.

-m

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Cute. Nothing mind-blowing, but definitely worth a listen.

I still eagerly await Geoffrey Taucer's acoustic CT mix being posted.
Sorry, but I don't think that's gonna happen. An earlier (shitty) recording of it got rejected, and several judges said that even if the recording quality was improved, it still probably wouldn't make it on.

[Decoy Octopus]

Everytime I hear this I think back to XMark's joke/alternate submission to the July 2005 DoD Competition entitled Mario Jam.

Both Mario Jam and Gypsy Jazz strongly, and fantastically, utilize the guitar. I've been listening to both a lot lately.

Gypsy Jazz, to it's credit, is longer, much more developed, and upbeat. I don't usually review OCR songs but I just had to throw my two cents in for this one. Great job!

[Geoffrey Taucer]

You know, this grows on me more every time I hear it.

[IndyCovaHart]

While the source material is certainly catchy and nostalgic, I can't help but think those are the main reasons this piece was accepted. There really wasn't much of a deviation from the original.

Although the rhythm guitar(s) were right on, as far as the lead is concerned, I heard quite a few dead notes (one totally missed at 2:04), and more poorly articulated (hit too soft/hard) notes than I would have liked. Rhythmically, some notes were lagging, too.

As the contributor pointed out, it does have a "two takes and record" feel to it. Some may call that "charming", but it seems awfully strange to me for it to have been accepted. I have heard rejected works that clearly invested far more time and effort than this.

As a guitarist, I can safely vouch for his skills, but the performance could have easily been cleaned up with more takes. I'm surprised the judges did not ask for a resubmission.

[ubernym]

While it may lack the level of production of other pieces, this is actually lends more the the Django Reinhardt comparison. It's a sweet little tune and well played. It certainly deserves the exposure it's getting, but I must confess that it just feels a little too much like a novelty piece.

I mean, the fretwork is great; hell, the overall performance is well done and sounds very natural. In some ways, it embodies the essence of the majority of "cover" songs: they are interesting because they sound different, and we like them because they offer a fresh perspective of the sound, but they do not necessarily offer a fresh interpretation of that sound.

It's like the difference between two covers of Bob Dylan's All Along the Watchtower:

You've got Dylan's source tune, which is very folksy. But the cover that always stands out is Hendrix's kick-ass rockfest guitar-orgy. It's not a novelty cover, it's a complete redux of the entire piece, from sound to silence, Hendrix took Dylan's piece and turned it on its ear, then gently lit it on fire for all the world to see (and hear). It is a piece transformed, so much so that many people don't even realize that it was originally a Bod Dylan song.

Now take the latest cover of the song, recently played in a trailer for Tom Clancy's GRAW. It's a cover, not of the Dylan piece, but of Hendrix's cover. It was performed by several notable rock musicians (Everlast – vocals; Billy Gould (Faith No More) – bass; Raymond Herrera (Fear Factory, Killing Zone) – drums; Doug Carrion (Kottonmouth Kings, Dag Nasty) – guitar; Russell Ali (Kamana/Killing Zone - local LA bands) – guitar.). No one can decry it as poorly done, and it does add a bit of a contemporary edge to the Hendrix version, but it is ultimately a novelty piece, and will not remain fixed in anybody's permanent memory (possibly not even the performers').

That's how I see this ReMix. It's well done, and I enjoyed it, but it is not utterly remarkable.



This is not a bad thing, it is just a thing.

[monkeybutt]

love it! instant classic as far as my music library goes. great job :)

[SirLouie]

I enjoyed this song - very simple, very "human." It reminded me of some of the David Schwartz songs used in the TV show Arrested Development.

The song might have benefited from a little more layering, and I would have loved to hear a "battle" of sorts between either two lead plucking guitars or perhaps the existing guitar with another instrument (a clarinet, perhaps).

Nonetheless, it is a good, fun song. Me like.

[phantomINTELLECT]

All I can say, is this song is fucking awesome

GG on this mix!

[bilditup1]

This is pretty amazing, got it queued up along with Django and Joao. Very laid back, very cool, not too many things going on, and will get boring if you listen to it too often, but it is what it is. Get it while its hot! This is the first great SMB2 remix since Estradasphere's (this doesn't top that though...I don't think any SMB2 remix could).

[viewtiful]

Although the rhythm guitar(s) were right on, as far as the lead is concerned, I heard quite a few dead notes (one totally missed at 2:04), and more poorly articulated (hit too soft/hard) notes than I would have liked. Rhythmically, some notes were lagging, too.

As the contributor pointed out, it does have a "two takes and record" feel to it. Some may call that "charming", but it seems awfully strange to me for it to have been accepted. I have heard rejected works that clearly invested far more time and effort than this.

As a guitarist, I can safely vouch for his skills, but the performance could have easily been cleaned up with more takes. I'm surprised the judges did not ask for a resubmission.

Sorry for quoting all of that but I felt it was needed.

Ummm ever heard of humanising? Personally I think that the fact that it was clearly preformed live and had a few minor mistakes added to the quality of the song. Gives the impression of a very laid back tune which you could play on a summer’s day outside the front of a house in hillbilly country. Frankly if this was done on computer even with humanising effects it would sound no where near as good and would lose all of its quality and style. I want to get some tabs or sheet music and learn it myself, good job :D

[Goten X]

I really liked this piece. I can't say I'm a fan of gypsy jazz (I listen to mostly contemporary or classic), but I liked the guitar in this a whole lot. I just wish I could play the guitar as good as that. ;_;

|GX

[Terium]

Simple and groovy. Not too much to say otherwise. It's creative and cheery.

Prooves that simple can still triumph.

[apjo]

As musical layman from the technical point of view, all i can say is this music is fantastic. Laid back and perfect for relaxing, simple yet with personality. Congrats on a job well done ^^

[Radiowar]

As much as I am a fan of lo-fi there is a note at around 0:39, and to a lesser extent one at 1:02, that makes my ears explode. Oww volume disparity. Otherwise this is enjoyable.

[operawonderdude]

About friggin time someone did some Gypsy, I think other than jazz-rap, this is my favorite jazz type.
I actually like the crappy microphone quality...sounds more like it was from a record, haha.
Loved the improv, but wish it was a bit longer cuz I think the source stuff was longer than it, aw well.
Awesome job man!
Oh! If ya ever do another Django style song, you should definitly lookinto having some violin in there too :D
Thad make it authentic gypsy times 5!

[Malaki-LEGEND.sys]

Gotta love that rag tag feel to it. And yeah, the mic and recording quality really did it. It's these little creative touches that make a remix stand out as cool I believe.

I don't believe I have to comment on the actual instrument work. It speaks for itself.

I feel like playing a game of stick ball now...

[Dafydd]

Nothing short of totally awesome.

[Liontamer]

My lady, "The Lady", enjoyed this piece so much that she wrote about it over at our blog, VG Frequency (http://www.vgfrequency.com/?p=139). She felt a lot of connections to other great non-VGM music and enjoyed the arrangement a lot having played the game.

Take some time out and drop her a comment over at the blog. Even if you stumble on it way after we posted this. We'll still hug you.

[Black Mage]

I've recently discovered musette and manouche music (gypsy swing/jazz), they're perfect for chilling and drinking some wine or a good beer. Gypsy Jazz has become a new favorite in my playlist!

[42]

I was wondering what gypsies and jazz had anything to do with this mix, but after reading what Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gypsy_jazz) had to say, it all makes sense now.

The beauty of the mix is in its simplicity.
This is a reminder to the world that ~everything~ doesn't have to be boom/bust, life/death, now/never, "the world's gonna end now!!!", etc; it's an incredibly nice "stop and smell the roses" kind of mix.

This is an absolute must download.

[vindkast]

Beautiful and fun, I love the style and the performance, one of my all time favorites. I play this mix for people who think they won't like "remixes," or think "remixes are all techno." I hope to hear more!

(Also, makes a great ringtone.)

[Pachi Risu]

Very, very good. The quality and arrangement is handled
flawlessly. A pleasure listening to this remix. More like this,
please.

[OA]

This would be prefect in some sort of indie animated feature; it's tailor made for that kind of thing. Overall very conservative, but exceptionally charming. decent but not pristine playing, and warm but not ideal recording give this a lot of additional character that flawless playing and production would have detracted from.

Very nice stuff. :-)

[Fflwcs]

This makes me all tingly and happy. It's a perfect version of the tune, totally in keeping with the original. It sounds like an old record you'd find at a yard sale or second hand shop.

[DarkSim]

This is like a window in time of a moment of inspiration - a man and his guitar recording something totally unique, that will never be played the same way again. That's the "charm" I find in this piece. If he'd played it the day before, it would have been too sloppy, if he'd recorded it the day after, it would have been too polished. The recording we have here is in that tiny window where the sequencing of the NES meets the human Adrian Holovaty, and while simple, is perfectly imperfect.