Let's Play LIVE! #1 - Super Mario Bros. w/FULL ORCHESTRA! ft. George Salazar

The entire first two worlds of gameplay from Super Mario Bros. for the NES with music accompanied LIVE by a full sized jazz big band, orchestra, and choir! All sound FX performed live on drum pads! Featuring George Salazar on the controller! Orchestrated and arranged for a 65 piece orchestra and big band with choir!
Featuring all musical themes from Super Mario Bros re-orchestrated in styles such ranging from Swing, Fusion, Classical, Mambo, Strauss Waltz, Rock, Metal, Stravinsky, Burning Up-tempo, and more! Check out every theme from Super Mario Bros being heard live by this full orchestra and choir synced with on screen game play!
FULL MUSICAL SCORE ANALYSIS AND REDUCTION HERE:
• Super Mario Bros Live!...
AUDIO NOW AVAILABLE ON BANDCAMP FOR DOWNLOAD! :)
VERSIONS WITH AND WITHOUT SFX!
the8bitbigband...
The 8-Bit Big Band is a Jazz/pops orchestra that formed to celebrate and realize some of the best themes from video game music written from all consoles and eras! Blending together themes from Nintendo, Sega, Playstation, PC, and more and then re-arranging in genres and styles of all musical inspirations for big band or pops orchestra instrumentation and orchestration.
Band leader/Arranger/Orchestrated by:
/ crosenmusic
THANK YOU FOR WATCHING :)
Follow us on Insta/Twitter for more behind the scenes clips!
Instagram ► / the8bitbigband
Discord ► / discord
TikTok ► / the8bitbigband
Twitter ► / the8bitbigband
Spotify ► spoti.fi/2DaYx69
BandCamp ► the8bitbigband...
Patreon ► / the8bitbigband
www.the8bitbig...
-- FULL CREDITS --
The 58 members of The 8-bit Big Band: Let's Play Live:
Conductor/Arrangement/Orchestration/Bandleader - Charlie Rosen
Nintendo Entertainment System - George Salazar
Harp - Lianne Cline
Flute - Mira Magrill
Oboe - Steve Lyon
Bassoon - Jenice Rosen
Alto Sax 1 - Andrew Gould
Alto Sax 2 - Josh Plotner
Tenor Sax 1 - Sam Dillon (solo on world 2-3)
Tenor Sax 2 - Zac Zinger
Baritone Sax - Andrew Gutauskas
Trumpet 1 - Bryan Davis
Trumpet 2 - John Lake
Trumpet 3 - Gabe Medd (solo on world 1-2)
Trumpet 4 - Danny Jonokuchi
Trombone 1 - Alex Jeun
Trombone 2 - Jimmy O'Connell
Trombone 3 - Mariel Bildsten
Trombone 4 - Becca Patterson
Violin 1 - Katie Kresek (CM), Tomoko Akaboshi, Lavinia Pavlish, Frederique Gnaman, Mary Jo Stilp, Emily Gelineau
Violin 2 - Kiku Enomoto, Sita Chay, Kevin Kuh, Ally Jenkins, Ellie Goodman, Erikka Walsh
Viola - Tia Allen, Elise Frawley, Will Marshall, Sarah Greene
Cello - Alon Bisk, Marta Bagratuni, Susan Mandel
Piano - Natalie Tennenbaum
Guitar/Tres - Charlie Rosen
Bass - Adam Neely
Drums - Jared Schonig
Mallets - Sarah Tompkins
Congas/Bongos/Hand Perc - Wilson Torres
Roland SPD 1 - Jamie Eblen
Roland SPD 2 - Josh Bailey
Sopranos - Danielle Gimbal, Kate Bullock, Jane Kivnic, Grace Choi
Altos - Gracie Nash, Ashley Sweetman, Badia Farha, Jane Bruce
Tenors - George Slotin, Vanjah Boikai, Troy Burton, Josh Greenblatt, Sommer Carbuccia
Baritones - Sean Switzer, Josh Page, Keith White
Directed by Hunter Bird
Recorded at The Power Station NYC
Engineered and Mixed by John Kilgore
Mastered by Alan Silverman - Arf Mastering
Shot and edited by Halleloo Creative
Thumbnail art by @MikeKILLUZ
#the8bitbigband #georgesalazar #videogamejazz

[@insaneintherainmusic]

One of the best videos on the internet!

[@colesmith16]

Yoo I feel like you coulda been in this if you arent

[@sethunderwood5525]

I see you everywhere!

[@jbark678]

Thanks for pointing this my way.

[@dylanjones3497]

insaneintherainmusic haha lol x2

[@mistere3057]

not only do i see insaneintherainmusic on this video, i have the honour of being the 420th like.... what luck

[@garrettoliva5154]

"hey man, wanna play some games?" "Sure bro, just let me get the fellas ready." "The fellas?"

[@aid3782]

You know, just me and the garage band.

[@wellihadtosay6271]

@Aid Just open the garage door to find a deluxe recording booth with a swing jazz band smiling at you.

[@henryg.8762]

*_The fellas._*

[@SlowedandReverbCEO]

HE'S CONDUCTING WITH A WIND WAKER

[@SlowedandReverbCEO]

The 8-Bit Big Band well played XD and great orchestration

[@darenkellensi9677]

THE Wind Waker

[@tedioustotoro4885]

It was one of the pieces of merch for the Zelda concert

[@WayneWerner]

THAT WAS THE FIRST THING I NOTICED!

[@nevermorenovelist]

Well of course! What else would you conduct with? A normal, regular, everyday, plain old conductor's baton? Pfft! XD

[@james.randorff]

1. This was amazing. 2. The death scene was a hilarious and well-timed bit of comic relief. 3. I learned so much from this. 4. See number 1 again.

[@anonymous-de3mn]

What did you learn ?

[@thendo2048]

@@anonymous-de3mn He learn the definition of "perfection"

[@SecurityDivision]

That flute girl looks so happy during cuban part :D

[@RepentInReprise]

[@Encyclopedia_Brown97]

I feel like.... This song sounds like how it FELT to play Super Mario Bros as a kid, especially if you played it back in the late 80s. It felt like an epic adventure as a kid.

[@jkrai9684]

holy.... i mean.... just..... what..... Im at a loss for words. Amazing job!

[@SmashSlayer]

______________________________________ w | w w o | o o r | r r d | d d s | s s _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ | _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ | w w | w o o | o r r | r d d | d s s | s w o r d s

[@michaelreed7881]

@@SmashSlayer First of all HOW DARE YOU

[@normhal]

*If Super Mario Brothers had Ranked stage clears* _S rank_ - 6:10 _A rank_ - 3:30 _B rank_ - 1:12 _C rank_ - 4:37 _D/E rank_ - 5:21

[@oldvlognewtricks]

Breakfast Face Guy Swap B and C and I’m with you.

[@dimentiofomenko]

Toby H exactly lol

[@No-pm4ss]

None of them are objectively better than the other. They have different qualities. The "D/E rank" isn't made to be "better" than the others and it doesn't try to be, it has a different purpose.

[@dimentiofomenko]

Anki I suppose you may think I don’t know. They all have their own special aspects but this ranking is purely based on our opinions. Even though none tried to be better I still think some are better to the ear than others, for me - of course.

[@VVM2025]

That's a good idea for the next 2D Mario Game.

[@lonzi3ros3]

George's facial expressions throughout the whole thing are just precious....💕

[@lonzi3ros3]

@@The8BitBigBand who doesn't???

[@pedroaugustomoura8968]

George without Dream

[@FamilyJules7X]

Simply magical.

[@bemorediya7122]

I’m not sure if I should be watching the beautiful band, the actual game, or George’s facial expressions HELP

[@benjaminfriesinger219]

Better than all Big Bands I've ever heard. And I've heard all the good ones in my country (Germany).

[@tharrock337]

Yeah we aren't the best at big banding... My school had a decent one but of course nothing that compares to this.

[@sophyx9]

Better than the WDR Big Band nah I dont think so. But still very nice

[@igameu3]

@@sophyx9 pretty much on par I'd say with the wdr

[@vincenttavani6380]

Do you know anything from Lothar Krist?

[@keeseman]

Wow, I actually have tears in my eyes... That was crazy good! For a long time I've wanted to see live musicians play with speedrunners or something like that, but this is on a whole other level.

[@yaj126]

Yeah this gave me hard goosebumps

[@batpone]

As was I! Got shivers up my spine at several points. 🙃

[@musicwithkapoor]

​@@batponeexactly ♥️

[@ericl.9879]

I could legit go for a full underground cover lol, wow this whole thing was great

[@aileenarip]

Thank you George Salazar for bringing me to this channel I LOVE THIS

[@limboo096]

madre mia willy que haces aqui compañero

[@lukeehrkepiano5061]

Loved the Rite of Spring reference at 5:40! (please tell me I'm not the only one who noticed that LOL)

[@tonylancer7367]

This is the epitome of game music rendered live. Kudos to all the musicians involved and the arranger. What an emotional journey this is. Abosultely stunning!!! I've been inspired.

[@Lalaland.001]

Tony Lancer if you want to see the making of the epic feat go watch this kzbin.info/www/bejne/maOvqXt5aZ2rra8

[@donttalktome6878]

I legit watched this in class and was like it's george Salazar!!went home and checked and I was right

[@PianoCat-Music]

magnificent!! so glad Adam sent me here

[@AlgyCuber]

me too lol

[@Holobrine]

I just found this 2 years later and thought it was familiar, and then I spotted Adam Neely and everything clicked

[@Tekni]

Waiting for the KZbin algorithm to do its job and give this video the attention it deserves

[@abjgamer9946]

This needs way more views. It sickens me that videos like these don't get enough attention.

[@samliedtke]

Like, share, comment, subscribe, full notifications on. You have to feed the algorithm.

[@antoniacorrales9148]

Crying from how absolutely PEAK this was

[@supahstarclod]

The castle orchestration gave me serious chills, I'm really impressed at how many different styles were covered. Absolutely phenomenal!

[@Coolio_Ash]

Lmao the bit where theyre grilling him for dying

[@sslushiess]

This is legendary.

[@benjaminbowers5557]

• sslushiess • we know you were just here for georgie boi

[@GameShowManOne]

How in the name of everything holy does this only have 132K hits? This is seriously EPIC.

[@pausebreakreviews]

I know this is an older video now, but holy crap this is far and away the best cover of the Super Mario Bros. score I've ever heard - I am so impressed. What really makes this special is the amount of passion, energy and fun you guys put into this. I find that a lot of the time people are too conservative with the Super Mario Bros. music as it's seen as 'sacred' - even Nintendo are incredibly guilty of this. But the result usually ends up feeling flat and boring, like the same songs we've heard a million times. With all the flairs and alternate takes, the bombastic instrumentation and the choir, you guys made SMB's music feel special in a way that nobody else has in a VERY long time. I honestly believe that if Nintendo took a leaf from your book, they could make a whole soundtrack just using the leitmotifs from the first game.

[@eric.from.statefarm]

never did i think mario could bring tears to one's eyes, this stuff right here could cure cancer

[@UjoBara]

@2:04 there's just something about the timing, close-up and instrumental setup that is hilarious and reminiscent of the Pink Panther cartoons

[@AlbertKimMusic]

Was watching this thinking this’d atleast have 20-30 million views... but 300k???? Should be illegal

[@Christopher_Wheeler]

Came from Adam's channel. Now, I'm subbed.

[@Italian4Evz]

Ok guys hear me out... George has a youtube channel... now all we need is him to do mario speed runs haha

[@Italian4Evz]

@@The8BitBigBand right? It would be perfect. You guys play the music and he Plays the games! It's a win win for everyone!

[@lealycan5286]

Oh my god I love this. (And George at the beginning is killing me.)

[@bananad9659]

coming back to this video after watching the mario movie, and having music in the movie exactly like this, is a dream come true

[@superpixeltea]

Love the interpretations of the songs! Probably one of the cleanest performances of video game music I've seen, really impressive. Incorporating the Rite of Spring into the Castle theme was genius!!

[@RyanBeard]

This is absolutely jaw-droppingly incredible. If I could give one piece of constructive criticism, I feel like having someone pretending to play the game live takes away from how impressive it is that the percussion players on the sound effects are so perfectly synced to the video. I know this guy is from Broadway and all, but his overacting on the gameplay kinda takes me out of it. I’d say in the future just be honest with your audience and let us know that the gameplay isn’t actually being played live because this is impressive enough just on its own merit. However, if you think it makes it more of a spectacle having someone pretending to play it, by all means, don’t use my advice.

[@ludoprieur6240]

c'mon it's fun

[@poppysilver]

IMO I think the novelty of pretending it's played live is actually pretty entertaining, however the overacting by the dude "playing" it does get a little bit grating.

[@RyanBeard]

I don’t wanna be too harsh on the guy. Clearly he’s just trying to have fun. I think I’m just biased because when something is so polished and technically impressive in every way, I just want them to convey that in the best way possible.

[@leftaroundabout]

The entire thing is completely and ridiculously over the top. The actor just goes with it...

[@kaisiacor6553]

Yeah. It would be much cooler and less "clickbaity" if they actually played for real. Even if the band doesn't do the SFX, just doing the music, it would be much more impressive.

[@DimitriSafarikas]

That "end of level theme" played on the bassoon ... so great :) Thanks for your brilliant work !

[@Wayne_Robinson]

I like how you adapted the music for a large ensemble (even the tres was onscreen for but a brief second) and scored an actual game play. Props to the musicians too! Say, that bass player looks familar...

[@LukeZuniga]

Oh man, Charlie....you have ignited something deep inside of me. This choked me up and brought tears to my eyes. I am soooo inspired by your work. Thank you SO much for this

[@TheRealBibwitHarte]

i can't believe i haven't seen this yet - this is so fucking cool on so many levels! the concept, arrangement, musicianship, videography, recording and mixing, video edit and logistical planning have come together so perfectly. The sheer amount of technical skill required to make this video honestly would go over most people's heads, we're talking MINIMUM 100,000 hours of practice aggregated between everyone's different skillsets over the course of their lifetimes. Also, more importantly than that it goes crazy hard too!!!!!

[@rezahydra]

If I said anything meme about this, I would be smitten by Miamoto. This is beautifully perfect, down to every note. You guys deserve to win America’s Got Talent since you’d be some of the only contestants with some! _Also, is this the right castle?_

[@vicanthonyortizsanchez8741]

Miyamoto*

[@keiradas7932]

There was a group who performed Don't Stop Me Now with a full orchestra and choir in the audience!

[@rezahydra]

+keira beatrice They were decent at best. Glad they honored Freddy with one of his hits though. Would’ve been better if it was Invisible Man or Killer Queen, but D.S.M.N. is still really good.

[@jerrodshack7610]

You ever notice how shows like that rarely ever have actual musicians?

[@theGameBrass]

This is still blowing my mind

[@NintendoFan]

Amazing! Marvelous! Wonderful! I'm at a loss of words for this performance. Probably the best SMB arrangement I've ever seen! The choir was a unexpected surprise, and it was beautiful!

[@stevie_k03]

the best arrangement for the Game music out there!! they definitely nailed it.

[@SaxPracticemanJazz]

素晴らしい。。。。。 Great！！！

[@GeorgeStreicherMusic]

How does this not have 10 million views?

[@fromthecherryvine]

George dancing along is a big mood

[@blueblimp]

Video game music is created to be heard as a backdrop to gameplay, including interruptions, so this is a fitting way to play it. I liked how the arrangement changed when in-game the same track would just play again, which is a nice way to stay real without being boring.

[@hopefranfam]

See George Salazar *click*

[@uhoh4397]

@@The8BitBigBand But Boyf is written on Jeremy's backpack, not Michael's oof.

[@cowboytoy05]

@@uhoh4397 so jugey lmao

[@aydanneilson-bourke7378]

Hope Fambrough made the right choice

[@hellish.fandom]

Same

[@GravityBouncer]

I absolutely can’t get enough of these super symphony orchestras with concert band, orchestra, and big band elements

[@IanKnowland]

That castle level at the end gave me a spooky Mormon hell dream. Fantastic arrangement and absolutely stellar group!

[@SamWickens]

The world 2-1 arrangement with the extra syncopation really reminded me of Mario Land 2's soundtrack. Nice touch.

[@lillyoboyle8136]

I smiled like a fool while watching this the whole time. I absolutely love George Salazar and the band is so incredible

[@vicentefernandez9084]

Ok. To do: *Hire this group *Build time machine *Go back to my Mario days *Never come back

[@TheSheath63]

I just had an emotional, extremely hard weekend. This put a huge smile on my face for the first time since Saturday. Thank you so much! 😄

[@fripptricky5099]

There is no reason why this shouldn't be the most popular video on this website.

[@hirokokueh3541]

1:30 wow, didn't expect Miles Davis

[@ArianSadrayi]

2:06 Those trombone glissandi caught me off-guard. Did not expect that. :D

[@AndyChamberlainMusic]

ah neely played bass, thats why he made the vid about it glad he did!

[@cristiansoares]

How this video got only 218k views is beyond comprehension. This should have more than 100mil. Watch this all the time with my kiddo.

[@mackmilne8155]

I had the privilege to see the Jazz at the Lincoln Center Orchestra perform with Chick Corea, and honestly, I think I'd rather watch this group play this kind of music.

[@mackmilne8155]

That would be amazing if you do. But I'm literally as far from New York as you can get in the continental U.S. though. San Diego.

[@Squrtie]

Never in my life have I needed something so much and not realized it until I had it

[@ImAmity]

I just watched Adam Neely's Video on this, and honestly it just impressed me even more. The amount of work and dedication you put into this piece of music is outstanding. I compose my own Choral, Piano, Orchestra, and Band pieces, but this is just so much better than what I can compose. Truly amazing, keep up the amazing music.

[@SA-ki5vo]

How's about DK Country now? You have initiated an appetite which needs satisfaction good Sir. We demand it !!! Well done to all involved.

[@The8BitBigBand]

Oooooh that is a great idea. That and a game of Smash 64 are now my top contenders for this series

[@SA-ki5vo]

@@The8BitBigBand Do It LOL :)

[@Nathan-wm8yb]

5:40 Sounds like Rite of Spring? Or am I crazy? EDIT: Ok lol I'm stupid I didn't watch the Adam Neely vid rip me

[@topofsm]

No, if you look at the latest Adam Neely video where the composer goes through it he said he put in rite of spring due to the atonality.

[@Christopher_Wheeler]

You're not crazy, you just watched Adam Neely's video.

[@nein9082]

It does sound like rite of spring. Also I didn’t know Adam Neely made a vid on this lol

[@LuficariusRatspeed]

Yes, indeed that is a little lick from the 1st Movement. :)

[@rebornpkmn503]

I didn’t realize Adam Neely was in this until I read the description ! This is phenomenal!

[@maxwu3395]

so many celeb musicians in the 8-bit band and guest players... looking up who played is like reading who's who in the current scene. what a band!

[@Gust_The_Man]

imagine nintendo hearing this

[@duraeusentenu]

Omg, the first couple seconds, hes blowing into an old NES cartridge! TOTAL NOSTALGIA! 🤣❤

[@TheDarrylJohnsonShow]

The nintendo guy was my favorite. Love his acting!

[@vaneras]

How am I only just discovering this group now?!

[@JoshLeRose]

5:40 when Stravinsky enters Bowsers Castle

[@ejuramusic]

This is absolutely legendary. There are no words in the English language to express how awesome this is. I have watched this more than 7 times and it never ceases to amaze me.

[@WinArmyOfficial]

wow can we use a small part in our new compilation with credit

[@stevendudley5687]

Come to Houston when this pandemic is over. My good friend Zac and I would come watch y'all play!

[@LeLaidbackLauncher]

2:04 When you forgot to press save after six hours of nonstop playing and Civ 5 crashes...

[@vjeranjanes5783]

the chord progression in the super star music was GODLY. I love every part of this.

[@alvarogil7792]

So this is how they played super mario in the 20s

[@FlobertTV]

Wow! incredibly good. One of the best songs I've ever heard.

[@gasboy122]

Dude that was playing the game looked like Rivers Cuomo, Fred Armisen and Rick Moranus all had a baby.

[@xxxx7904]

OMG! so fantasy! I burst into tears after watching it

[@CVerse]

2:08 how my orchestra reacted when I messed up a note during rehearsal

[@v1c-was-her3]

122k views? Dude, that's insanely low, these views NEED to be amped up. This is probably one of the most amazing renditions of Super Mario Bros I've EVER heard

[@topofsm]

So, I’m not sure I quite get what happened. The composer played the game and composed sheet music so the percussionists could “play” the game effects along with the video. Is the game player just an actor then?

[@Vulcapyro]

yes

[@jeezluis1779]

Tim R woah tone it down a bit buddy, who pissed in your morning coffee?

[@DML897]

I love how nuts the brass players go during the brief solos. Trumpet, sax, and flute players killing it out there!

[@carne034]

I really like it. It's amazing (i am italian i can't write very good sorry)

[@BrunoNeureiter]

Tutto apposto qui

[@murpeet5001]

non c'è problema

[@chomby3]

It's aaa mario

[@DarkZide8]

Man, the chorus in the water level

[@justleo2956]

Is that geprge Salazar? Edit: So he did make an entrance.

[@garfieldweezermug4975]

GEORGE SALAZAR MAKES AN ENTRANCE!!!

[@bassguitarist2686]

Omg this brought tear to my eye, watching with my kiddos

[@user-uy1ko9ob5j]

DO CASTLEVANIA SYMPHONY OF THE NIGHT NEXT!!! PLEASE ITS MY DREAM

[@JakeMcaulay]

that was fucking incredible made me bloody tear up all that nostalgia just hits you :)

[@alexandermarsh4501]

*accidentally dies* (whole band then publicly abuse him)

[@caligoepotus7046]

I came here for George Salazar and u was not disappointed, I'm a huge Nintendo lover and I grew up around Mario so in overall this was an amazing video

[@tescarus]

Great performance, but the dude with joystick totally gone overboard with weird mimics

[@DevilDaz17]

Yo, that tripple tonguing on the trumpet was fire!

[@thespiafangirls1291]

George Salazar is probably having the timr if his life here

[@MrEdUrAt]

No matter how many views this video will have, it always deserves more

[@bias3026]

Nostalgia from all those Christmas vacations I played this with my friends all day, when level 8-4 means dinner time even if it is already past 11pm. Big bands always remind me of that Christmas breeze when I watch them perform for long queues of Christmas shoppers in our country. The child in me cries right now!

[@michaelboyle1437]

AMAZINGGGGGG! I guarantee you Koji is going to hear this, just a few days til viral!

[@RepentInReprise]

If... no, WHEN this gets viral, you should invite Koji personally to either play through a session or actually conduct the orchestra ;D!

[@homeroenelinfierno]

Him ducking to the beat at 5:39 shows just how much forward planning went into this, wow

[@RainbowDemon]

You talking about the composer and conductor?

[@carb0xyde]

That starman theme was mind- bending!!