Long-time lurker here ~ I'm Owen, jazz guitarist in NYC, and my band Eternal Wind has been playing jazz arrangements of Joe Hisaishi compositions in Brooklyn for the past two years. We just released The Ghibli Collection on OA2 Records (the jazz label that's part of Origin Records) - 9 tracks, all Hisaishi pieces from Spirited Away, Castle in the Sky, Princess Mononoke, Kiki's, and Totoro.
We tried not to just play the melodies straight - the goal was to use them as launching pads for jazz improvisation while keeping the emotional core intact. Hisaishi's writing is too distinctive to mess with too freely.
"Ashitaka and San" is my favorite ballad. The original is one of the most emotionally complete Ghibli cues. Studio video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kG71Hk0-UzQ"Carrying You" is a great feature of Cy Leo (World champion harmonica player): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4V_Kf0MXlY
And of course "One Summers Day", with our signature dual guitar led sound. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLyxANKDpTE
Full album is on Spotify if anyone wants to hear the rest. Happy to answer questions about the arrangements, the recording process, or what the live shows have been like - our Brooklyn audience is mostly anime fans who've never been to a jazz show before, which has been the coolest part of doing this.
Feel free to hit me up for guest list spots for our upcoming shows in Brooklyn, NYC (pending availability)! Would love to connect with local NYC Ghibli fans. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZS3_BuUwwkQ (live demo reel)