The Deku Trio is Back with New Cover Album “Zelda & Jazz II”

Earlier this year, The Deku Trio released their debut album Zelda & Jazz under the listener-funded record label GameChops. The album was comprised of 12 tracks, all from Ocarina of Time. Now Princess Keys, Lincoln Beats, and G. Dorf are back on the piano, drums, and upright bass respectively with Zelda & Jazz II, a sequel jazz album covering 18 songs from even more Zelda games on the Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, Game Boy, GameCube, DS, and Wii.

Influenced by bossa nova and coffeehouse-style jazz, Zelda & Jazz II features artwork and character designs by comic and environmental artist Christian Benavides (also known as Voyager), who has created art for Magic: the Gathering, League of Legends, and many more properties in the sci-fi, fantasy, and gaming space. Here is the album’s tracklist:

  1. “The Legend of Zelda” (Ocarina of Time)
  2. “Outset Island” (The Wind Waker)
  3. “Mabe Village” (Link’s Awakening)
  4. “Sword Search” (Link’s Awakening)
  5. “Song of Healing” (Majora’s Mask)
  6. “Inside House” (series)
  7. “Astral Observatory” (Majora’s Mask)
  8. “Ballad of the Wind Fish” (Link’s Awakening)
  9. “Great Sea” (The Wind Waker)
  10. “King of Red Lions” (The Wind Waker)
  11. “Dark World” (A Link to the Past)
  12. “Dragon Roost Island” (The Wind Waker)
  13. “Fi’s Farewell” (Skyward Sword)
  14. “Enter the Twilight Realm” (Twilight Princess)
  15. “Full Steam Ahead” (Spirit Tracks)
  16. “Serenade of Water” (Ocarina of Time)
  17. “The Legendary Hero” (The Wind Waker)
  18. “The Wind Waker” (The Wind Waker)

Following other albums in the GameChops Unplugged sub-label such as Zelda & Piano and Zelda & Sleep, the Zelda & Jazz series was created by Chillhop’s Rob Araujo and GameChops Executive Producer Chris Davidson.

“The Deku Trio has been a longtime dream project of mine,” Davidson said. “It’s refreshing to have great recordings of such talented musicians playing live on a project like this. My hope is this album appeals to both fans of chill-out game music and classic jazz.”

Zelda & Jazz II is out now and available on all storefronts and streaming platforms. This album comes at a perfect time for me personally, as jazz music always seems to hit just the right spot as we head into the holidays. I’ll be spending more time in the kitchen cooking and baking, and I’ll have a great go-to mix of relaxing jazz music with themes from some of my favorite games to help keep me in the cozy mood of the season. The album does a wonderful job of consistently changing up the pace, while also respecting the emotions of the source material; the more upbeat, swingworthy arrangements of “The Legend of Zelda,” “Inside House,” and “Dark World” are interspersed with softer, more contemplative covers like that of “Mabe Village,” “Dragon Roost Island,” and “Full Steam Ahead,” which makes for a listening experience that doesn’t lose my attention or allow tracks to all become the same.

What do you think of the latest album in the Zelda & Jazz series? What’s your favorite track? What covers should The Deku Trio tackle next? Let us know your thoughts down below!

Source: GameChops

GameChops provided Zelda Dungeon a copy of Zelda & Jazz II via Scarlet Moon Promotions.

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