A little over a year ago, I wrote the theme music for Cincinnati Edition, a local talk show on WVXU, Cincinnati’s NPR affiliate. Here’s what it sounded like:

Now, I know what you’re thinking: it’s perfect. It’s got a gripping intro, a hummable tune, and what’s more, it totally flatters that half-jazz, NPR style. Plus, the performances are excellent.

What then, was I to do when the radio station asked me a couple weeks ago to reboot it for their new host/format? How was I to improve on perfection?

Basically I just turned a bunch of really excellent musicians loose on it. Here’s what we came up with:

Now that’s sure to get those Cincinnatians up out of their chairs at 1:00 pm on weekday afternoons!