ReMix:Golden Sun "Streets of Tolbi" 4:32

Glorious, joyous, & brassy New Orleans-style street jazz wasn't necessarily something I expected to find on Golden Sun: A World Reignited - but I'm damn glad it's there! Album director TSori arranged this shuffling, celebratory, parade-style jam, also contributing to a formidable horn section:

• TSori: arrangement, trumpet 1
• Deedubs: trumpet 2
• dannymusic: trombone 1
• JohnStacy: trombone 2, mixing
• SirCorn: tenor saxophone
• Alex Hill: tuba
• thebitterroost: drums, drum arrangement

TSori (Logan Thomas) writes:

"This was an unexpected ReMix in many ways. For one, the idea do it as a New Orleans brass band came suddenly one morning, six months into the project, long after I had already given up on arranging "Tolbi" as an Irish jig. I'm actually from New Orleans, originally, and I have wanted to play this kind of music for years. The second surprise came when I sat down at my computer to hash out a rough cut of the idea, and by the end of the day I had a finished arrangement!

Still, the arrangement was only one ingredient. New Orleans brass bands have a very distinct style, and part of the challenge of this ReMix was trying to figure out how to make that happen. I knew from the beginning this had to be all live, and not just live, but every part needed to be played by a different person. In order for this to work, you really need to hear each individual player as much as you hear the one band.

Fortunately, we had a slew of brass players already on the project, and, after some searching, I was also introduced to thebitteroost, who could record live drums (which is no small order).

So, with the stage set and the players in place, the real challenge came. This style of music incorporates a lot of things we might consider "bad" in other genres: overblown notes, blatty tones, messy articulations, etc., but all of them used in a very musical way. That's where the performers really come in. This piece, more than any other I'd done, relied on the instincts of each performer to get the right kind of sound, and, man, did these guys deliver!!

• Daniel's steady and crisp first trombone part gave us the perfect background to work from.
• Deedubs work on the 2nd trumpet part fit perfectly with my first part when we played in unison, but also was very distinct when we didn't. His use of a bit of vibrato on the first note of his solo (immediately following the trombone solo) really adds a lot, and is one of my favorite small details in the remix.
• JohnStacy did a great job giving the trombone solo a lot of character, and his handling of the mixing is excellent.
• Alex's tuba part is the backbone of the whole arrangement. He managed to get a great sousaphone sound out of a concert tuba (seriously!), and his improv solo is pure New Orleans through and through.
• SirCorn joined us on very short notice, and nevertheless put together a great recording. His improv solo is so slick, and it just shines.
• thebitterroost in many ways had the biggest job. He rewrote the drum part himself with outstanding results. His decision to switch to rim shots during Alex's solo was brilliant, and I like that he managed to pay homage to his metal background in his solo as well.

That's probably what I liked most about how this remix turned out. When you send out an arrangement that's full of improv like this to performers, you're never really sure what you'll get back. What we got back through, was four improv solos (SirCorn, thebitterroost, Alex Hill, and myself) that fit the style just right, and yet sound very different from one another other. It really gave everyone's personality to a chance show, and turned this piece into one big street party. That's what this kind of music is all about.

Source Breakdown:

Given the amount of the remix that is improv solos, I thought a source breakdown was warranted.

Remix (Source):

• 0:00-0:18 (original)
• 0:18-0:36 (:00-:13)
• 0:36-0:52 (original)
• 0:52-1:10 (:00-:13)
• 1:10-1:28 (:13-:26)
• 1:28-1:45 (:40-:53)
• 1:45-3:00 (improv)
• 3:00-3:08 (original)
• 3:08-3:26 (:00-:13)
• 3:26-3:43 (:40-:53)
• 3:43-4:20 (:00-:13)
• 4:20-4:28 (original)

Allll together, 2:05 (47%) or original/improv and 2:23 (53%) from source."

The loose, almost halting shuffle on the drums makes it all click, with brass/sax performances that throw caution to the wind and come out swinging, swaying, getting a little bit nasty here & there, and generally having a rollicking good time. The fun comes through in the performances to such an extent that it's hard not to smile; whether it's a sauntering brass band or an upbeat Zydeco cut, Cajun/Creole-influenced music from The Big Easy always seem to put enjoyment & celebration front and center; good times. Rexy evaluated:

"This track, fresh off A World Reignited, has to be Logan's most ambitious one yet! Co-ordinating himself with seven other performers is no small feat, which is already amazing enough considering the improv nature behind brass gatherings. The performances are cleanly recorded and on point, the solos are lively, and there's been substantial attention to the mixing to make sure every instrument has its place.

Even the source's adaptation is hot - changing the key to one more manageable for a brass ensemble and altering the time signature from 6/8 to 4/4. When the BGM is in play, there's considerable melodic transformation, yet enough done tonally to keep the respective section recognizable - an approach very similar to Logan's ska take on the Saturos battle theme from the same project. While I do wish that he'd not go clutch on source use while doing these transformations at the same time, the quota is there, and it works - and with a unique presentation, I can see it as a colossal standout among this year's mixposts. Kudos to everyone involved!"

I'll second those kudos - this has a style & swagger unique to the album and to OCR, I'm glad Logan drew from his life experience & channeled the music of his hometown, and the end result is a vibrant, spontaneous, syncopated celebration. I want a beignet; highly recommended!