The Nuclear Whales? "Whales?" What possible connection could the large sea mammals have with a saxophone orchestra? As an initial investigation, I consulted my trusty 50 year old Webster's Encyclopedic Dictionary and read the amazing definition:
WHALE, n. Perhaps connected with A. Sax (!) To Roar, to bellow, from the noise they made in blowing.
Then I checked Mr. Webster's "Abbreviation" section and learned that "A. Sax." refers to the word's derivation - Anglo-Saxon!
The orchestra's tongue-in-cheek title reveals an expertise in etymology that parallels their skills with the reed instruments. The Nuclear Whales overturned our theory that every possible combination of instruments has been heard in a jazz setting. As the name implies, this is a saxophone orchestra - just saxophones. They manage to retain a tight harmonic structure without the support of a rhythm section. (Except for a few foot-stomps on the "Reel Jig").
Their rich orchestral sound incorporates a full range of horns - from the smallest, the 18 inch sopranino, to the rare contra bass, the world's largest sax, almost seven feet tall. It sounds almost as vibrant as 76 trombones.
The Whales' bizarre program touches such diverse sources as: Duke Ellington, George Gershwin, and John Philip Sousa - plus Elizabethan compositions written two centuries before Adolph Sax invented the saxophone.
Although they sound sincere, beneath their velvety veneer of lush harmonics lurks a subtle hint of humor. Art Springs' Renaissance-flavored arrangement of "Tip-Toe Thru' the Tulips" slyly assumes a Latin beat behind a German accented vocal - and they segue into "Stars and Stripes Forever!" (Where did the piccolos come from?)
In a serious mode, Billy Strayhorn's cerebral "Lush Life" emerges with fugue-like majesty from four baritone saxophones supported by organ chords from Don Stevens' contra bass sax. "Summertime" is warmed by Dale Mills' mellow tenor. "Danny Boy," recorded by everyone from Madame Schumann-Heink to Glenn Miller, is freshly dressed in the Whales' bright arrangement.
Adolph Sax died penniless in Paris in 1894. He would have loved the Nuclear Whales' motto: "Hear The Whales, Save The Saxophone!" Hear the Whales!