Casimir Liberski reimagines the golden era of video game soundtracks with live jazz versions of Zelda favorites The Legend of Zelda (1986), A Link to the Past (1991), Link’s Awakening (1993), and Oscarina of Time (1998) – and tons of Easter eggs! Dancing between nostalgia and avant-garde, the Brussels-born pianist and composer crafts a sonic world of pixelated folklore where melody and improvisation coexist in harmony.
Zelda Suites (The Live Album) is the origin story of Liberski’s acclaimed Z Suites album. He explains:
The live recording of Zelda Suites (The Live Album) preceded the studio recording that later comprised ReTRio's first album, released on WRWTFWW entitled The Z Suites. This live recording was captured at the end of a tour in Germany and Belgium, in Osnabrück, in a small, intimate venue. This new album therefore contains only "hot first takes," imbued with all the emotion that permeated our playing that evening. In a way, it's perhaps more closely linked to my initial vision for the project: to "take the iconic themes from the Legend of Zelda games that shaped my childhood and perform them live through a jazz lens”. For me, the conditions of live performance are the very essence of jazz. There's a frankness of being present, in the very moment the music is created and, one might say, listens to itself, that draws the musicians into a fervor and audacity that often transcends them. The magic of jazz comes at this price. Unapologetic, as they say in English. This album reveals a perhaps more authentic and unrestrained side of our playing. No excuses.
Again, long live Hyrule jazz!
Tracklist:
1. Title Theme (Live)
2. Overworld (Live)
3. Tal Tal Heights (Live)
4. Dungeon Suite (Live)
5. Hyrule Castle (Live)
6. Uncovered Secret (Live)
7. Deku Tree (Live)
8. Kokiri Forest (Live)
9. Lost Woods (Live)
10. Mysterious Woods (Live)
11. Sheik's Theme / Kakariko Village (Live)
12. Windmill Hut (Live)
13. Dark World Suite (Live)
14. Mabe Village (Live)
15. Dark World Dungeon Death Mountain (Live)
16. Light World Dungeon (Live)
17. Boss Battles (Live)
18. Fairy Fountain (Live)
