Aladdin Variations

A Whole New World’s music is written by composer / jazz saxophonist Remy Le Boeuf and is vaguely based on three songs from the Disney movie Aladdin. This piece is part of a larger project that we have been enjoying undertaking this past year, building a repertoire of cross-genre transcriptions and arrangements of some of our favorite music.

The music, and subsequently the video, reflect on the “whole new world” we find ourselves in due to this ongoing pandemic; the new dystopian harmonies, sharp turns and twisted dissonances that Remy included in what we know as a hopeful and peaceful song (A Whole New World) speak for us of the claustrophobia and panic we found ourselves in suddenly when the world stopped in March 2020. But since then, like so many others, we both have discovered many beautiful silver linings in being forced to step away from our normal (and somewhat chaotic!) pre-pandemic lives as touring musicians – diving into, investing time in, and relishing friendships, nature, and long-lost hobbies that have allowed for an escape from the chaos and in the end a richer, fuller, and more joyful life together!