Chrono Trigger Main Theme - Big Band Jazz Fusion version ft. Steven Feifke (The 8-Bit Big Band)

The incredible pianist and composer Steven Feifke is featured on piano in this Jaco Pastorious/Chick Corea inspired Jazz fusion arrangement of the Main Theme from Chrono Trigger (1995)! The original song has some pretty great parralell minor 9 chords that made me draw the connection between this and Jaco Pastorius’s famous composition "Kuru/Speak Like a Child" so I wanted to honor his great bass playing, and let Steven play the role of Herbie Hancock, with a short tribute to the late great Chick Corea's "Spain" in the middle with a similar sounding unison line. Hope you enjoy!!
Check out Steven's channel to hear more of him:
/ stevenfeifke
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"The 8-Bit Big Band" is a 30-65 member Jazz/pops orchestra that formed to celebrate and realize some of the best themes from video game music from all consoles and eras arranged in a large ensemble Jazz/Pop/Rock setting!
Blending together timeless musical themes from Nintendo, Sega, Sony, and more then re-arranging them in genres and styles of all musical inspirations, The 8-Bit Big Band has members from all around the world, but most reside primarily in New York City, and are some of the most highly sought after musicians and performers.
Band leader/Arranger/Orchestrated by:
/ crosenmusic
@CRosenMusic
FULL CREDITS:
Piano soloist - Steven Feifke
Alto Sax - Andrew Gould
Alto Sax 2/Flute - Josh Plotner
Tenor Sax 1 - Sam Dillon
Tenor Sax 2 - Zac Zinger
Bari Sax/Bass Clarinet - Adison Evans
Trumpet 1 - Bryan Davis
Trumpet 2 - Nick Frenay
Trumpet 3 - Chloe Rowlands
Trumpet 4 - Max Boiko
Trombone 1 - Jimmy O'Connell
Trombone 2 - Rob Edwards
Trombone 3 - Javier Nero
Bass Trombone - Reginald Chapman III
Bass - Charlie Rosen
Piano - Steven Feifke
Guitar - David Cinquegrana
Drums - Bryan Carter
Percussion - Kevin Garcia
Violins - Lavinia Pavlish, Josh Henderson, Kevin Kuh, Camelia Hartman, Alissa Jackman, Tomoko Akaboshi, Meitar Forkosh, Lucy Voin, Audrey Hayes, Tiffany Weiss
Violas - Laura Sacks, Tia Allen, Matthew Beaugé, Yumi Oshima
Celli - Susan Mandel, Kristine Kruta, Jessica Wang
Harp - Liann Cline
Music by Yasunori Mitsuda
Arranged/Produced by - Charlie Rosen
Engineered and Mixed by John Kilgore
Mastered by Alan Silverman at Arf Mastering
Shot and Edited by Halleloo Productions
Animations by SovanJedi (Twitter @sovanjedi)
Thumbnail art by @MikeKILLUZ
#the8bitbigband #videogamemusic #videogamejazz

[@StevenFeifke]

Charlie Rosen FTW 🙌🏻👏🏻 thx for having me man, always a blast playing your music 🥂

[@1993Slevin]

Steven, it's really incredible unbeliveble!!

[@CiudadanoDin]

That was an awesome performance!!

[@alfreedakamran5404]

You the bee's knees, man!

[@anfowcr]

RIP Akira Toriyama

[@PauperPrincex]

As soon as I saw this on my feed I was immediately like "Oh my fucking god". I was not disappointed. GIVE NERDS OUR GRAMMYS

[@The8BitBigBand]

Fingers crossed!!!

[@ZMaine]

Dude. Same.

[@Deathslayer296]

WELP

[@SovanJedi]

This was a lot of fun to work on! Thank you again for letting me be a part of this awesome arrangement from the GRAMMY WINNING 8-Bit Big Band!

[@The8BitBigBand]

Pinning this! Everybody hire SovanJedi to do sprite/pixel art he is awesome!!

[@ParkerSimmonsAnimation]

@@The8BitBigBand a blessing from on high. And all that GORGEOUS animation too. Y'all stay winning!

[@emilioestelar]

You don't need a Grammy to be great. -Queen

[@emilioestelar]

@@The8BitBigBand You don't need a Grammy to be great. -Queen

[@moonrazk]

Fantastic work, mate!

[@Bianaryexistance]

The pixel art and animation for this video is absolutely stellar!

[@Guanvro]

I completely agree! They look so professional, and the ones that were more detailed felt as if they were officially made by Akira Toriyama. SovanJedi is so talented.

[@corrinflakes9659]

@@Guanvro I'm not sure if Akira Toriyama is an animator at all while being more well known as an illustrator. But certainly designs like an animator, like how he regreted all the spots on Cell and having to redraw his spots so many times.

[@celuiquipeut6527]

This is actually what the game really look like. This is the boss entrance. It is all in game footage. This is the game i played in the 90's.

[@NerdyLittleSecret42]

That bass player is an absolute BEAST! Such a great tune!!

[@ol_thecreator]

Facts

[@M2Mil7er]

listen to Jaco's 'Kuru / Speak Like a Child' and you'll see where the arrangement of the opening comes from.

[@sydposting]

I feel like I got swept up into the soundtrack of a long-lost Lupin III movie. The strings are just buttery perfection, and the bassline was sublime. Totally agree with the Jaco comparisons other people are making. Loved the animations too!!

[@The8BitBigBand]

Yes definitely wanted to give it that 1970s string vibe!

[@lettuce7378]

The intro sounds pretty much exactly like Kuru/Speak Like a Child lmao

[@blackattack1840]

Hope Toriyama got to enjoy this beautiful tribute 🎶

[@TheAbbster79]

I was not expecting the intro and the bassline of this song to be a “kuru/speak like a child“ homage. Insane.

[@Coolio_Ash]

So I'm not well versed in jazz but holy cow that is unmistakable. It works well!

[@M2Mil7er]

Recognised it straight away! Glad to see someone else with good ears here.

[@dereksands5553]

Is that a new upload from the GRAMMY NOMINATED 8-Bit Big Band???

[@feelthelove3725]

wait, since when???

[@dereksands5553]

@@feelthelove3725 they got nominated for Best Arrangement (Instrumental or A Cappella) this year for Meta Knight’s Revenge!!

[@The8BitBigBand]

Yes sir!!!!

[@AStrangeWindmill]

@@dereksands5553 as well they goddamn should.

[@RogersBase]

How is it that you guys always manage to top yourselves?! Incredible!

[@corrinflakes9659]

It makes me wonder which song should've been the Grammy-nominated one because The 8-Bit Big Band really isn't missing. 😤

[@banonKING]

First time watching this... I was feeling concern, cause I hadn't seen my boy.... I was not disappointed.

[@final909]

I bet if Yasunori Mitsuda heard this he'd say "this is exactly how I would've had this sound if remade with Jazz Fusion" So good.

[@MrKegg]

2:45 I'm losing my mind over that Chick Corea reference this is BADASS

[@SilverPoyozo]

Never thought I'd hear a Spain reference in my Chrono Trigger. Mind blowing arrangement!

[@The8BitBigBand]

RIP Chick had to pay tribute!!

[@Fijifilme94]

That was absolutely bonkerss, I'm out of words

[@user-br3br7xy9b]

演奏の素晴らしさだけでなく、ドット絵や動画からもクロノ・トリガーに対する愛を感じます😂 クロノ・トリガーファンが世界中にこんなに沢山いるなんて日本人とし誇りに思うよ！

[@cookedchicory6742]

We have seen a lot of CT: Main Theme jazz cover/arrangement/rendition over the years. This one is nuts and probably tops them all. The amazing piano soloing, the horns and strings sections alternating sick punches and sweet melodies, the incredible video production/animations and the rhythm smoothly alternating between parts with the bass going wild to drive the whole thing: this is gold.

[@The8BitBigBand]

So glad you enjoyed!! Def one of my favorites so far

[@mikebaut27]

Rest in Peace Akira Toriyama...

[@mithriltear]

Words cannot express how amazing this is, but I'll try. The music, (did I hear a nod to "Spain"?) the animations, the feeling on the player's faces - thank you very much for making this! Chrono Trigger and the music of Yasunori Mitsuda has a special place in my heart and you have made my day.

[@riptide534]

Yesssss, they post of their stuff on Spotify long before KZbin and I’ve been listening to this on repeat

[@The8BitBigBand]

Oh yeah couldn’t resist a little Spain 2.0 moment in there thanks for listening!!

[@greensakana2673]

I heard Spain too! So awesome!

[@billyhansen7183]

YES!!! Kuru/Speak Like A Child from Jaco Pastorius's Self Titled! Badass!!! I totally dig that bassline, super cool composition

[@boscoxto17]

That “Spain”-esque (Chick Corea) section always makes me smile :)

[@The8BitBigBand]

RIP Chick!! Had to pay tribute!

[@BluesBrogio]

The artist who did the visuals is REALLY in love with the game! It's beautiful to see it :)

[@Vuusteri]

This is just too good for KZbin. There are half-assed soundfont midi conversions that have million views, but professional orchestra recordings get less than 100k views. Well, at least these will played for centuries to come. I'm sure about that. Congrats for the Grammy nomination!

[@philmania]

I can only get so many chills!

[@ScorpionZX6]

Hoooolyyyy, y'all are going in! I've always heard how good Chrono Trigger is, hearing this makes me want to drop everything and actually play it, it has to be amazing if this is anything to go by!

[@eosborne6495]

Yes, Chrono Trigger really is this good! It’s a classic for a reason!

[@knight_lautrec_of_carim]

You really should play it. It's surprisingly digestible from a modern standard because instead of annoying random encounters many other JRPGs from that era featured, Chrono Triggers has all enemies you fight on screen even before the fight happens. It's also not grindy at all.

[@BonaparteBardithion]

@@knight_lautrec_of_carim Most fights are avoidable once you get the lay of the land too.

[@The8BitBigBand]

So glad you enjoyed!!

[@Chakrazx95]

Chrono Trigger is a timeless classic (pun intended), if you have the opportunity to play it, do it, you won't be disappointed

[@RobBaldridge]

That "Spain" section hit me like a truck! Wonderful arrangement and playing of this tune. Big fan of you guys.

[@ericslough5839]

I just found this vid today and I was like "was that SPAIN!?" I'm so glad you confirmed that I'm not losing my mind

[@deanospimoniful]

Whoever does the animations for these deserves a pay raise. Doing Mitsuda proud, without a doubt.

[@samoftheam]

Haha I was so confused I thought you had already released this but then I realized that was only on spotify!! glad to see a video up! now we need one for super mario bros 2 overworld 👀

[@The8BitBigBand]

Yes! The album usually comes before the video because that process takes so much longer haha. Sadly we didn't shoot a video for SMB2 though ):

[@hunkydoodle2374]

Just noticed the Meat Easter egg at 3:34 and burst out laughing. A fantastic arrangement! I have been waiting for a nice standalone video of it since hearing this on your livestream.

[@SilverPoyozo]

Vinny's gonna love this...

[@The8BitBigBand]

Thank you very much!

[@lavender_oni]

@@SilverPoyozo I literally pointed at the screen like that Leo DiCaprio meme and yelled "IT'S MEAT!!!"

[@AT7outof10]

I was looking at it and wondering if I was just mistaking it for something else! Wild.

[@zenverak]

What Easter egg?

[@MiloGiraldo-Soundtrack]

it always gives me chills to hear Spain in other contexts

[@aidenmclaughlin1076]

This is awesome! Love the Chick Corea inspiration! Spain is one of my favorite pieces, good work!

[@VGMCollective]

Amazing as always Charlie!! Was a real pleasure playing on this session!!!!

[@pararirago]

これは神！　　　　（2022/4/7 クロノクロスリマスター発売記念）

[@thtguy9015]

This is by far the best rendition of this song.

[@Gwunhar]

Everything about this is ridiculously good. The animations, the fat bass line, wow

[@Silph_Co]

I can't get over how amazing this arrangement is. It was so good it made me play the game itself (it's great)

[@DanielZeal]

I must have listened to dozens, maybe hundreds of renditions of this theme since I first played Chrono Trigger in 2009, and I think it's safe to say this is my favorite version I've ever heard. Even though the performance itself is unbelievable, so much love went into the video itself, from the animation to the editing that I always find myself returning to this video time and time again. I've listening to Chrono Trigger music a lot lately. Maybe it's because Akira Toriyama passed recently, but I've been getting emotional thinking about this game recently. It never ceases to amaze me that the game came out almost 30 years ago, and yet still today I consume new fanmade tributes like this one on a regular basis. I'm glad people haven't forgotten about this game. It's really special to me, and I hope it remains special to a lot of people for a very long time.

[@BERZERKERABBITBritt]

When I grow up I really want to remake Chrono Trigger and I would love to use this for the main theme for the remake

[@MaximilianonMars]

You might know there was a project some years ago to remake Chrono Trigger, but it got a cease and desist from Square Enix and they stopped working on the project. They had character models, some environments and animations. Footage is still here on KZbin of it, it was pretty good stuff. A more recent tribute was someone imagining what Chrono Break, a proposed sequel that didn't get made after Chrono Cross, would have been like on 16-bit graphics. It's excellent.

[@BERZERKERABBITBritt]

@@MaximilianonMars I know all that fun stuff, but they are thinking of remaking Chrono Trigger soon

[@justinfujimura2509]

When the main melody kicked in: goosebumps and chills. Amazing work.

[@maxwu3395]

Especially love the bass playing in this

[@Time-Traveller-]

I don't think anything will ever knock Chrono Trigger off its spot as my favourite game of all time

[@TSBJunkie]

Wow, thanks for animating the race at the fair! My cousin and I spent like 2 hours when we first played the game just having them race over and over again. I'm not really sure why.

[@TheBadBuffalo]

Incredible bass player

[@The8BitBigBand]

Thanks thats me ;)

[@jesusdamian2172]

The arrangement and re-harmonized parts 😮😮 the bass line. The piano solo. The string section. The top tier execution of the entire band. Chills, literal chills.

[@khatharrmalkavian3306]

I noticed that it began and ended with Nu. Nicely done.

[@LOLHICRONO]

loving the pixel art animations lmao

[@danielfoden3550]

Oh man, shout out to my dude on bass just FROLICKING over all of this lovely music.

[@luf4rall]

That's Jaco's bassline

[@alexeidarling]

The Nu with the violin, I can't

[@HelciusCabral]

I can't even describe how perfect this is, including this amazing pixel art

[@evanbarron]

OMG YES YESSSS I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS EVER SINCE I HAD IT ON REPEAT ON SPOTIFY IT'S SO GOOD AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[@RedZeshinX]

Seriously, why don't y'all sell a vinyl record yet?? They'd sell like hotcakes, just fantastic work! EDIT: Also, that easter egg nod to "Nuumamonja" did not go unnoticed, kudos to the incredible pixel art as well!

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

This is unbelievable. I can't get my head around it not having more views. It's just an absolutely incredible version - huge props to everyone involved Edit - completely misread the date as November somehow haha KZbin do your thing!

[@AaronJSussman]

Video’s been up for 6 hours. Give the algorithm a minute.

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

@@AaronJSussman oh shit! I completely misread the date as being last month and was enraged! Too long spent staring at a screen today haha

[@The8BitBigBand]

One view at a time thanks for listening :)

[@militarykobold]

You even included the boys from the OVA getting carried by tweaked-out Gato/Gonzalez! Amazing work

[@MoonSpiritChannel]

My favorite opening of all time! Goosebumps just hearing the opening notes!

[@cmmiles000]

A beautiful arrangement that is exciting and fun and perfectly performed, but I can't get over how amazing these 16-bit inspired visuals are. This video literally began and ended with Nu. That takes a true fan to get that reference right there.

[@TheJackster-tl8oi]

I watched this video a thousand times and just now noticed the little sprite among the string section in the beginning. Love this channel man

[@rocketman544]

Hearing this tune, at the 'live' concert in May, was my first introduction to Chrono Trigger. After hearing the actual soundtrack...I like this version MUCH better. Absolutely fantastic!

[@XavierIrazoqui]

I shed a tear or two listening to this awesome arrangement and performance while remembering the good times with this amazing game. Thank you, deeply.

[@Mike_ED]

02:57 wow! you even remember the little ova animation with this!! your animator rocks!!

[@beecebrashley1467]

The animations this time around were beyond impressive. They brought the original sprites and animations to life, and the original art was top of the line! Thanks for the music and nostalgia vibes!

[@k__fab]

JFC everyone crushed this. From the camera guy to the graphics. Tremendous, tremendous stuff.

[@roddyb33]

This absolutely slaps.

[@blakedavis4262]

Amazing that this music still has such a profound impact on me 25 years later.

[@selender42]

omg the kuru/speak like a child opening?! and the bass?! IM IN LOVE!

[@victoriabell9546]

This was a great arrangement! I absolutely loved the Spain reference (RIP Chick Corea) at 2:46. I was surprised to hear that! 🔥🔥🔥

[@The8BitBigBand]

RIP Chick!! Had to pay tribute!

[@BryanCarthell]

So amazing! What a tribute to the best game of the 16-bit era!

[@saltbaker8683]

That was truly epic and once again a grand score for you folks, thanking my childhood so epic by your cover!

[@charlesbwilliams]

Insane stuff!

[@retrosquid4438]

Holy CRAP is that sprite art and animations amazing. Even the music gives me a large feeling of wonder. Absolutely phenomenal! Eargasm indeed!

[@kevinmiz225]

Still my favorite 8BBB song. You guys so deserve a Grammy

[@SwordSaint892]

well that worked out

[@TheCreepypro]

one of my favorite songs and it has never sounded better!

[@SeanRainey]

Y'all literally made me burst into tears this is SO AWESOME

[@naidje_]

I can't believe y'all included a reference to the Chrono Trigger OVA x3

[@lavkian]

I literally didn't even know there WAS an OVA. What the fuck? Where can I watch it?

[@naidje_]

@@lavkian You'll find it if you search for it on youtube.

[@baltakatei]

@@lavkian kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZqC1oXaggNSDptU

[@LiveAnotherDaveActually]

Glad to see I'm not the only one who spotted that!

[@BonaparteBardithion]

I was not expecting that! It's at 2:56 for anyone curious.

[@lumo_]

i've been listening to this one on spotify on repeat for months! really cool to see the video out now!

[@paulburnett886]

The pixel art for the video was amazing 😍

[@ILoveHandles]

The music here is phenomenal- 8-bit really outdid themselves on the arrangement and execution here. The video brings it to a whole new level- as a diehard pixel art fan, the animations here brain-destroyingly gorgeous, while retaining a degree of faithfulness to the source material a lot of game dev studios could stand to do with the remasters and remakes that seem to be released often these days.

[@The8BitBigBand]

Brain-destroyingly gorgeous is exactly the right set of words to describe Jon's work on this I totally agree!! Glad you enjoyed the arrangement

[@DigitalCasm]

This is the best version. bebop jazz. Classsy Piano backing. And wonderful reharmonizing that doesn't take anything away from the original.

[@YA-------HA--------ii]

amazing!!!! Thank You😭

[@Meepston]

i've been waiting for the music video for this cover for SO LONG, this cover is bliss to my ears

[@lucasgomes3251]

i was needing this u.u

[@nintendogejpeg]

I cannot stop listening to your guys stuff. Amazing arrangements that never get old. And great picks for songs too!! This one is definitely a new favorite! Wow.

[@TheSteelDialga]

This arrangement is absolutely incredible. Charlie, you da man!! This ensemble is amazing

[@ericolmos2885]

Going back again to listen to the theme for nostalgia reasons and came across this gem. Absolutely amazing!! Immediately subscribed!

[@Odincdaj522004]

The pixel art story in this is amazing. Such a wonderful little touch to have the silhouettes at the start not include Magus -- only to end with him turning to see Lavos.

[@RosieSquall]

I got goosebumps! This is amazing! Thanks for the memories.

[@MrLee43]

Wow this was beautiful. I almost want to shed a tear! 😁👍🏾

[@Hi-ty7lz]

MAN, both the music and the animation is marvelous. they really nailed it!!❤️❤️

[@ryanallen2001]

Incredible, as always!

[@robhillman2238]

Yes! 🎉🎉🎉 Brilliant work

[@TheAdvertisement]

That was absolutely beautiful to listen to. The arrangement holds onto the main Chrono Trigger theme for the structure but it's not afraid to completely derail itself for some awesome jazz solos, and still everything flows together so perfectly. Awesome job!

[@thisisfromage]

I've been listening to this on Spotify over and over again, but the video and the animations are ON POINT. It makes it a visual experience as well as an audio one. Chrono Trigger is my all time favourite game and has shaped the way I see the world too.

[@Nessthegreat]

I've been listening to this for months now and I still just screamed out loud

[@albertobaranao8532]

The best animation you have done so far, every video you make the quality is even better than before!

[@Dionaea_floridensis]

Come back to this one at least once a week, absolutely phenomenal

[@en.mp3673]

this was amazing, big band jazz fusion is something i would so obviously love but never actually realized that until now. ty ty

[@alvarostockle]

Music absolutely amazing as always, but I need to mention the animation work!! Incredible!

[@Haki1112]

Absolutely love it!

[@blacksabre5343]

You guys are amazing as always. This one brought tears to my eyes being a kid who grew up on this game in the 90s. Thank you.

[@PKshockwave]

Amazing!

[@alastair6312]

Still one of my all time favourite pieces from a game. Thanks for the fantastic rendition.

[@dingus_maximus]

Music to trigger your chrono to. Excellent as always! You guys are amazing!

[@Nularius79]

Tears. Cant help it. This is just beautiful. Too bad I found it a little late, but now, I can finally get to keep it as one of my all time favorite video music covers (and the chocobo cover too!)