On August 31st, the Free Play concert takes audiences around the world to hear jazz sets of game music performed by The Hard Modes in Virginia, The VGM Collective in New York City, the 8-Bit Jazz Heroes in California, The Counsouls, based in Sydney, Australia, and Tokyo's Nice! Edmond is Super Sumo Wrestler (N!ESS).
The concert is the creation of Greg Weaver, founder, arranger and sax player of The Hard Modes. He told me that to have a concert like this has been a dream ever since he started The Hard Modes.
The concert starts at 6pmET, with a set by New York's VGM Collective, and travels around the globe, finishing up in Virginia with a set at 10pm ET by The Hard Modes, and all the bands will be streaming with Twitch.
Greg says it's a great opportunity to hear different approaches to jazz covers of game music by these bands.
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Although the concert is free to watch via the bands' Twitch streams, it's also a benefit through GoFundMe for the Able Gamers Charity, which makes it possible for everyone to enjoy games.
Episode tracklist:
Kozumi Totaka: Link's Awakening: Mysterious Forest (performed by The Hard Modes)
Yoko Shimomura: Mario Superstar (performed by The 8-Bit Jazz Heroes)
Kristopher Maddigan: Cuphead: Floral Fury (performed by the VGM Collective)
Nomuo Uematsu: Final Fantasy VII: Cosmo Canyon (performed by The Hard Modes)
Toby Fox: Undertale: Oh! One True Love (performed by The Hard Modes)
Yasunori Mitsuda: Chrono Cross: Time's Scar (performed by The Hard Modes)
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Thanks to Dick Roberts for production assistance
