ReMix: The Legend of Zelda 'Link Goes to New Orleans'

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A hearty welcome to jazzsmiths Neskvartetten, who offer up a very tasty, flowing jazz arrangement from the first Zelda. The texture here is fantastic, with a gritty distortion on the organ, some lovely syncopation to the melody covered by jazz guitar, and - probably my favorite - some dynamic jazz drumming that really ties the piece together, drawing some impressionistic lines around the free-formish jam. This is drumming that - and someone may prove me wrong one day, with the right tools - you just can't achieve by electronic, synthetic means. At least, it'd take forever, and prolly still not end up as good. I could listen to just the drum track, isolated, from this ReMix, and not get bored. Combined with the greasy organ riffs that know JUST when to enter, exit, and when to protrude from the mix or sit underneath it, as well as a funky bassline that's far from boring and the afforementioned guitar that both leads the piece and reacts to it, this is a fantastic example of talented jazz instrumentalism and improvisational (if not in actuality, then in style) arrangement being applied to a rather simple, chromatic motif from a classic game. Given the scope and relative simplicity of the original, you've gotta love what Neskvartetten (Johan Sundhage, Lucas Edman, Niklas Engman, Stefan Pettersson) have accomplished here. While it doesn't particularly remind me of New Orleans jazz, which I tend to think of as more upbeat, bombastic, and brass- or woodwind-driven, it definitely oozes an authenticity, and brings something new to the table. The mixing and processing on the organ alone are enough to go on about at length, but I'll keep it a bit shorter: recommended, and can't wait to hear more. Kudos.

― djpretzel

Discussion: Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
If you haven't heard Neskvartetten yet, you are missing out big time. They are quite possibly the best jazz quartet on the site. Nothing sounds canned or sequenced. This is the real deal, and at the price of $0, it would be foolish for a jazz fan to pass by this incredibly fun rearrangement of the original Zelda dungeon theme.

- SubNormal J3 on September 11, 2011
What a nice warm recording sound here, and those the performances are a bit loose, the vibe is unmistakable, so get down, daddy-o's. I liked how the bass really had a great groove going on for the duration, and kept the track strongly anchored to the source. Drums were fine but a bit uninspired, and the guitar worked well enough. That bass was the real star i think.

- OA on December 4, 2009
Neskvartetten does Dungeon right.
I can almost envision someone wandering around in some forgotten cave/dungeon and turning a corner to randomly find a stage with Neskvartetten performing this tune on it. :-P
Great job and a must download.

- 42 on January 17, 2009
an all-time favorite of mine..
im really into jazz remixes! the reason? well uhm i was usually not into this type of jazz before because i didn't know the songs that those awesomely talented musicians were jazzing with..
but after neskvartetten and shnabubula (mainly) i've trained my ears and head thanks to the fact that i DO recognize these sources...
it's been a while since we had a Neskvartetten ReMix now, and i think it's time soon !!
:nicework:

- Platonist on September 29, 2008
kono kyoku wa totemo yokudekimashita na. isshoukenmei ganbatta souya. honkyoku wa totemo mijikakutemo, chanto gijutsuteki ni nagakushitasou. kono riimikkusu no stairu mo totemo omoshirokattanda. mata ganbatte ii riimikkusu wo tsukutte kudasai.

- KogeJoe on January 30, 2007
Det här är faktiskt väldigt bra för att vara er första remix, gav "Dungeon" themet ett lite mer ledigare känsla. Ni spelar väl live eller hur? Annars har ni de bästa syntarna jag nånsin har hört.
Väldigt bra låt(eller remix, beror på sammanhanget). Jag måste kolla upp era andra låtar. Johan, Lucas, Niklas, Stefan, bra gjort.
This is actually very good to be your first remix, you gave the "Dungeon" theme a more comfort mood. You do play live don´t you? If you don´t, then you have the best synths I have ever heard.
Very good tune(or remix, depends on the situation). I have to check your other mixes. Johan, Lucas, Niklas, Stefan, well done.

- Bummerdude on October 7, 2005
I've never been to New Orleans but I'm sure this is what Link would sound like when he goes there. I think it's kinda funny listening to a marching band drummer play for a keyboard jazz song. I play jazz music so I know that's completely messed up! But I did hear somewhere that it's how New Orleans does jazz. I guess New Orleans is kinda weird then. Whatever. This remix is cool no matter what crazy city it's from!

- STeel Demonz on November 7, 2004
AWESOME!

- PancakeHero on October 11, 2004
I'm glad I was able to grab their other Zelda mixes before the site inexplicably disappeared. All quality stuff, and this one is no exception.
Anyone know what happened to Neskvartetten?

- afish on November 30, 2003
I've been collecting Zelda remixes for a while now, and this is one is one of my prize pieces. I have this one and "Shake it Sheik!" and I ca never get the beats outta my head. great job!

- Alex2007 on November 30, 2003
I usually don't listen to jazz, and usually have to be in the mood for it to listen to what little jazz music I have...but this is a great song, and one that I could listen to at pretty much any time:-)

- ladykaiyu on November 13, 2003
OH, YEAH.
this thing kicks ass. the band takes you to a very accelerated (those effin drums!! OMG!!) but chilled (distorted organ in bg is uber cool) trip to the dungeon and will keep you there as you hear how they improvise and let the guitar do its work, altough ALL the elements work impressively good one with each other. incredible performance here boys, and a cool twist to this twisted track. maybe the best arrangement in OCR for a zelda 1 song, and a site classic. get it now!!! this thing is too cool to pass up.
Cano
swingggyyyy

- Cano on October 9, 2003
Interesting mix here. This tune always gets stuck in my head when I play Zelda 1, now I'm going to be listening to this one for hours. :D

- Tets on August 15, 2003
Boy, this is good. I like how that jazz guitar really smoothens the dungeon melody. This makes it sound alot happier than freakish like the original tune. It sounds like a soundtrack of a decisive situation for "The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show". I'll bet Vince Guaraldi or Waynton Marsalis would've done their own arrangements of the same song. Good work guys!

- A-RoN on August 15, 2003
Hmmm...
I dunno. Not knowing much about jazz, I probably don't have a right to have an opinion at all. All I can say is this one didn't "speak" to me.
But I do agree that it's great to hear a ReMix of the dungeon theme. That GAWD FORSAKEN TUNE. Ah, so many a time whilst playing the memeberable game I ached to make the monotonous music just go away. I would have done anything...destroyed the console, toss the tv out the window, puncture my own eardrum...and then my brother just suggest I tune the volume knob, and all was good.
Cheers.
J. :twisted:

- FenianMasochist on June 16, 2003