Not content with just one musical memorial to celebrate Super Mario’s 30th anniversary, Nintendo has announced a live performance [1] to be held in Osaka and Tokyo on September 20th and 21st. The live shows will feature original arrangements of Super Mario Bros. themes performed by the “Super Mario Special Band”. And what a special band it is!
According to the translation the members include anime composer Sasaji Masanori serving as music director and keyboardist, with numerous Japanese jazz musicians filling all the seats. Just a few of the members include Tanaka Shingo, from T-SQUARE on Bass; Asa-Chang, from Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra on Drums; Asari Katsuhisa, from Jazz Trombone Quartet VOLTZ on Bass Trombone; famed Japanese violinist Sayaka Shoji; and many more.
You can get a taste for the show’s style in the rehearsal promo above but surely Nintendo will be releasing a recording of the full performance at some point. Much easier to acquire is Nintendo’s other anniversary offering, the two-disc 30th Anniversary Super Mario Bros. Music [2] album which was released on September 13th.