When you think of jazz, you might think of big band swing in a ballroom, or enjoying a live combo in a candlelit club with a nice cocktail.
But what about jazz... in a videogame?
This week on GAMEPLAY, we’ll take a look at three very different but equally irresistible jazz-influenced game soundtracks.
We’ll hear irrepressibly fun music from a summer camp for psychic trainees, followed by selections from a period piece influenced by film noir, and then a swinging finale from a game inspired by the hand-drawn cartoons of the 1930s.
The full episode and tracklist are available below, along with exciting behind-the-scenes videos: one from a recording session for Cuphead (complete with looks at the amazing in-game animation) and one featuring the motion-capture technology used in L.A. Noire.
Generous support for the music heard on this program comes from the Robert T. and Ruth Haidt Hughes Memorial Acquisitions Fund. Special thanks to Michael Culler for engineering assistance. Keith Brown is GAMEPLAY’s host and executive producer.
Episode tracklist:
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Peter McConnell - The Meat Circus (Psychonauts) - Original soundtrack
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Peter McConnell - Stay out of the Moonlight (Psychonauts) - Original soundtrack
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Peter McConnell - Hagatha’s Home (Psychonauts) - Original soundtrack
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Andrew Hale, Simon Hale - Main Theme (L.A. Noire) - Original soundtrack
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Andrew Hale, Simon Hale - Minor 9th (L.A. Noire) - Original soundtrack
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Andrew Hale, Simon Hale - Noire Clarinet (L.A. Noire) - Original soundtrack
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Andrew Hale, Simon Hale - New Beginning, Part 3 (L.A. Noire) - Original soundtrack
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Andrew Hale, Simon Hale - Fall From Grace, Part 1 (L.A. Noire) - Original soundtrack
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The Real Tuesday Weld - Guilty (L.A. Noire) - Claudia Brucken, vocalist - Original soundtrack
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Andrew Hale, Simon Hale - Temptation, Part 2 (L.A. Noire) - Original soundtrack
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Kristofer Maddigan - Don’t Deal With The Devil (Cuphead) - Shoptimus Prime, barbershop ensemble - Original soundtrack
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Kristofer Maddigan - Inkwell Isle One (Cuphead) - Original soundtrack
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Kristofer Maddigan - Die House (Cuphead) - Original soundtrack
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Kristofer Maddigan - Threatenin’ Zeppelin (Cuphead) - Original soundtrack
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Kristofer Maddigan - Dramatic Fanatic (Cuphead) - Allison Toffan, tap dancer - Original soundtrack
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Kristofer Maddigan - Inkwell Isle Two (piano) (Cuphead) - Original soundtrack
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Kristofer Maddigan - Winner Takes All (Cuphead) - Original soundtrack
Behind the Scenes: The Music of Cuphead: Recording Hi-Seas Hi-Jinx!
L.A. Noire: The Technology Behind Performance
