ReMix: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past 'Waltz for Zora'

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The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

Well... YEAH. It's almost 5AM and I've been judging mixes for the past five hours. There's some great, really original stuff comin' your way soon, and this superb jazz Zelda 3 arrangement from Neskvartetten is just the beginning. Ahh, but what a beginning it is - as good as their initial submission, a happenin' Zelda jazz piece, was, this is better - with guest artist Erik Kristoffersson on Alto Sax, this piece takes the familiar title theme in totally new directions that are very mellow and smooth and just... jazz. This is the type of sound I think when I think of jazz, and the type of sound that's still totally, utterly out of the reach of any electronic emulations of any of the constituent elements. Yes, musicians of the world, you're still very safe from being replaced by machines. Probably always will be - the degree of control over instruments like these offered by combining the physical instrument with someone that clearly knows how to play it is awe-inspiring. The arrangement makes such good use of this as well - the drums are always doing something, the saxophone knows when to burn and when to hold back or fall out, the dirty organ is spot on, the bass follows beautifully, and nothing is out of place. Oh, and it's mixed great as well, with the sax very foregound for an intimate feeling. I can picture this being played in a Soho coffeeshop with some poet doing a reading, fully unaware that she was performing her work overtop music from Zelda :) This is my personal favorite arrangement of this oft-mixed theme, and there've been some damn good ones. If I were Koji Kondo and I'd written the original melody, I'd be absolutely thrilled someone did this to it, without hesitation. There's not much else to say, really - the maturity is there to a degree that sets a benchmark for jazz arrangements which almost makes me feel like not trying. Even if the instruments here were emulations, the arrangement itself would still be exemplary and creative. If you don't like jazz, it's certainly not gonna win you over, 'cause it's more "jazz" than most genre pieces on the site, but I dug it quite a bit, and consider it a classic for the theme and for the site. Highly recommended.

― djpretzel

Discussion: Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
Vince Guaraldi would be proud.
This and Neskvartetten are freaking awesome.
An absolute must download for any jazz and/or Zelda fanatic.

- 42 on January 17, 2009
Appreciate the tones. Reminds a little like Cowboy Bebop (well for a reason a style) but hey, that's good. Nice work.

- Ryu2Wolf on January 6, 2009
LinkGoesToNewOrleans was pretty rockin'...but THIS...just, damn. It's my favorite piece from Nev, it goes a bit more into the upbeat direction compared to the trademark dreary style of most other pieces from them.

- metaphist on March 30, 2007
Simply amazing.

- metaphist on October 30, 2006
This has a really warm acoustic sound to it.
Like the creative liberties the sax takes with the melody.
It works perfectly, and really sets this mix apart.
I also like the piano (not sure which kind it is).
In short, a great mix. Different in a GOOD way.

- Broken on January 7, 2006
I never was a jazz fan. But with all these great zelda jazz songs, I think I'm becoming one...

- The_Wind_Waker8 on January 14, 2005
Heh, this is nice. I was introduced to jazz at an early age, so I have pretty much grown up with it. This is a pretty good jazz tune, and being a Legend of Zelda fan I am, this worked out great. Nice to see a jazz tune every now and then on the site.

- Jarrid on November 9, 2003
I love this one! Such a smooth, jazzy mix of the original. I had to have ths one! I will say, however, when listening to this piece it is indeed lacking "something," but I'm not too sure what. It just seems a bit bland. It's very good, still. A welcomed addition. There's a lot of Zelda jazz here. Hmm...

- Rapyer2986 on October 22, 2003
Without question one of the best remixes on the site. We be JAZZ!
That sax is SEXY. Consummate musicianship. Brilliant improvisation. As djpretzel points out, once machines can do THAT, we musicians are really out of place. The live renditions are almost /always/ my favorites and this one's awesomeness is... super great.
Leah brings up a good idea... I started imagining this as bop instead of something cool and smooth as done here. I think that interpretation has even more promise than this one! (Maybe it's because I just got done watching Cowboy Bebop? You tell me. :-P)

- fisherman on October 17, 2003
this mix was well done. I like it a lot, but Im getting tired of zelda tunes only in jazz...

- kablammyman on October 10, 2003
I've got a friend who works in a jazz/blues bar here in the city, and compared to the stuff I've heard in there, this remix lacks "zing." This is really mellow, smooth jazz...not bad at all, but something I would feel inclined to talk over, instead of sitting back, shutting up, and paying attention to. Lovely background chill-out jazz, but I was hoping for something with more of a groove like Neskvartetten's "Link Goes To New Orleans." Anyway, it's definitely a well-produced and well-played piece, and excellent for what it is.

- Villainelle on October 9, 2003
As a newcomer to the forums (long time OC fan tho) i'd have to say, I seriously dig this piece. It is very well arranged, and the only thing i could say that i would have liked to see towards the end, around 3:15, would be a drum and/or bass solo improv before returning to the main theme. In my opinion, that would have been a nice touch :) But as i said, I dig the piece. Overall, I think the piece is well constructed, and is a most enjoyable listen :) *saves to his HD* ^_^
-Caldy

- Caldamus on October 9, 2003
incredible. what a take on this beloved song. the sax is just too cool and smooth. beautifull. this is just perfect wonderfull jazz. the battery is perfect, and all in all its too sexy. indeed, one of the best, if not the best, rearrangements in OCR, and of course the best one there is for this song. A-MA-ZING.
Cano
been listening to it for about an hour, and it wont stop.

- Cano on October 8, 2003
Sure, the piece is really well played, and it's a good jazz piece... but I find it rather dull. Perhaps because this feels like it has so little "energy". The Estradasphere remix of SMB2 is so much more upbeat... while this is a bit too mellow for my tastes.

- Snyderman on October 7, 2003
excellent work, just like the last one. that organ is pure awesomeness :D
and they have a webpage somewhere with 5 or 6 other mixes on it but i forget the url at the moment. do a search or something.

- smh on October 7, 2003

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