This Sunday, Nov 9, Tacoma based jazz musician Cliff Colon will celebrate the release of a new CD — a CD that’s not your average disc. Made up of the music from the video game Contra, Colon’s ContraBand (get it?) is something for jazz purists and aging video game nerds alike.

I know this for a fact because Colon sent me an advance copy of the record. I fit into one of the above categories. I’ll let you guess which one.

Anyway, this week I caught up with Colon to get his take on his new record, as well as his CD release show coming up at Jazzbones this weekend. 

WEEKLY VOLCANO: Talk about the making of ContraBand? Did you have a sound goal in mind going in, or did you just let it turn out how it was going to turn out?

CLIFF COLON: I always had a particular sound goal in mind as I worked on the arrangements. I wanted it to be straight-ahead jazz with organic instruments. I wanted it to be “aggressive jazz” (something you won’t fall asleep listening to) and to keep the vibe true to the original compositions so non-jazz listeners who were familiar with the game would be able to recognize the melodies and enjoy the music.

VOLCANO: Why Contra? How well does the game’s music translate into jazz?

COLON: Contra was always one of my favorite games growing up. I thought the game would work well to make an album because almost every level has its own unique song. It wasn’t like Zelda, where the same melody is looped over and over, or Super Mario Bros, which only had a few different songs that were looped for each “World.” I saw Contra as a good fit because each song had a lengthy form with a distinct verse, chorus and sometimes even a bridge. 

VOLCANO: What has people’s reaction been to the record? Have you gotten a lot of strange looks, or have folks been real receptive to the idea?

COLON: People’s reaction to the CD has been great! Initially I was more concerned that the jazz purists would not be receptive to it. I always thought that the video game nerds, who probably are not jazz fans, would be receptive to an album that covers the music from their youth.

The only strange looks that I have received have been regarding the characterization of me on the cover, which over emphasizes muscles that I don’t really have.

VOLCANO: You’re not the only musician paying tribute to video game music. 

Why do you think video game music has been able to capture the attention of musicians your age? 

COLON: I think the “30 and nerdy” crowd spent a lot of their childhood locked in their bedrooms playing video games, and some of these games and characters they played in the game helped define who they are as a person. Some people are Mario kind of people and some are Luigi. Since the music from video game(s) is looped multiple times as you are playing a particular level, the individual tunes eventually become engraved into your psyche.

VOLCANO: Talk about the process of reworking the tunes for this record. What did you try to do?

COLON: I tried to keep the overall vibe of each song close to the original, so the die-hard Contra fans would be able to recognize the music. I tried to make a jazz album that would not only appeal to jazz aficionados, but also to younger listeners who may be new to jazz.

[Jazzbones, 6 p.m., $5, all ages, 2803 Sixth Ave, Tacoma, 253.396.9169]