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Contraband

Since the beginning of jazz, musicians have reworked songs familiar to non jazz listeners and made them their own. Music from pop tunes, movie soundtracks and Broadway shows have been arranged and performed in a jazz format. In honor of this tradition, this CD contains jazz arrangements of the popular music of my youth - "video games". In this case, the music is from the 1980's side-scrolling, run & gun, 8-bit video game called Contra. Each track on this recording is an arrangement of the music of Contra, originally composed by Kyouhei Sada and Hidenori Maezawa from Konami Corporation. The songs chronicle each level (or stage) of the game, in sequential order. For the most part, I have tried to keep the melody, harmony lines, and feel of the compositions true to their original form, while still opening up the songs with jazz chord changes to allow for improvised solos. I hope that you enjoy listening to this recording of "Contraband".

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260
Album Review

Cliff Colon: Contraband

Read "Contraband" reviewed by John Barron


Tenor saxophonist Cliff Colon makes his recording debut as a leader with Contraband, a disc containing jazz arrangements of music from a 1980s 8-bit video game called Contra. The disc's nine tracks chronicle each level of the game, in sequential order.

Underneath the novelty of playing jazzed-up versions of electronic video game music lies clever arranging and hard-blowing solos. After the thirteen-second anthem “Intro," Colon and company set off on an adventurous journey through a mostly modal, post-bop landscape. As ...

293
Album Review

Cliff Colon: Contraband

Read "Contraband" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan


Tacoma, Washington-based saxophonist Cliff Colon takes his inspiration where he finds it. In the case of his debut CD, Contraband, the inspiration comes from music of the 1980's side-scrolling, run and gun, eight-bit video game called Contra, which seems an unlikely source.But unlikely sources are pretty common in the jazz genre--Miles Davis' reading of “Surrey with the Fringe on Top," taken from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, “Oklahoma," John Coltrane's classic take on “My Favorite Things," ...

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67

Recording

Otis Taylor's 'Contraband' is Iconoclastic Trance Bluesman's New CD

Otis Taylor's 'Contraband' is Iconoclastic Trance Bluesman's New CD

Source: conqueroo

Otis Taylor's Contraband features Cassie Taylor, Larry Thompson, Anne Harris, Jon Paul Johnson, Chuck Campbell, Ron Miles, The Sheryl Renee Choir and more BOULDER, Colo.—Otis Taylor isn't defined by any single category. A musical alchemist and a true innovator, Taylor has never been afraid to experiment beyond the blues tradition. He's a master craftsman who has created his own signature “trance blues" style by melding haunting guitar and banjo work, syncopated rhythms and a combination of gruff vocals, shouts and ...

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Contraband

Self Produced
2008

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