ReMix:Final Fantasy VII "How Many Heavens Are There?" 4:55

If you've seen Big Trouble in Little China, you'll know that the Chinese have a lot of hells... but how many heavens are there? I've done the math, and my personal calculations have come out to a flat zero, but obviously your mileage may vary. Perhaps it's an inquiry better answered through music, specifically in the form of a sax & EP-heavy jazz ballad arrangement of "Tifa's Theme" from FF7, courtesy XPRTNovice (Joe Zieja) and Dylan Wiest - Joe writes:

"This is an older arrangement I've been sitting on for probably about a year. This basically is a sax-wank-athon that hearkens back to those somewhat cheesy pieces you heard your high school jazz band play. It's a collaboration between me and Dylan Wiest, a great arranger, keyboardist, and drummer I've had the pleasure of working with, and he contributed the drums/keys on this track as well.

This one was actually started in conjunction with the Final Fantasy VII fan movie project that went the way of the dodo after a (short) legal battle with Square. Dylan and I were on the music team together, and after I wrote this throwback-to-high-school-jazz-band version of "Tifa's Theme" with a saxophone feature, I asked him if he'd give me some live drums and keys to augment what I'd already written. Having Dylan do the keys and drums really brought this piece to its full potential. It went beautifully and it was the start of what would become a longer relationship leading toward the OC Jazz Collective, something that is going to be pumping out all kinds of slick tunes in the future. Enjoy!"

The OC Jazz Collective is *mad* ridiculous; love the work they've been doing, and there's so much more in store! This definitely has a high school, "everyone make sure you dance no closer than six inches apart!!" feeling to it, but in a super cool & very polished way. Since I did "Short Skirts" with Vig back in 2007, another jazz arrangement of the same theme, I guess I can compare & contrast the two a bit by saying that Jesse & I opted for a more syncopated, cello/guitar/vibes feel, perhaps a bit darker, whereas Joe & Dylan have hammed it up with a black tie optional, old school formal ballad. Love the source melody, and think it works rather well BOTH ways, personally. "Jazz" is a big umbrella :)

Extended EP intro is sweet and sets an intimate stage, but at 1'09" when mellow sax comes in with dat snare rim groove... like butter, I tell you. It kinda reminds me of the music they would play during Gaussian-blurred PG-rated sex scenes in 1970's films, before the tasteful fade to black. The drum fill and upper-octave lead re-entrance at 3'24" is resplendent - "You thought you'd already eaten the cheese? No my friend, we have not yet BEGUN to cheese!!" - again, in a completely musical & utterly enjoyable manner. Awesome stuff from Joe & Dylan that'll make you wanna grab your significant other, get out on the dance floor, & class it up with some slow moves on a hot night!