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Nuclear Whales Sax Orch. - bass sax!

4K views 19 replies 15 participants last post by  Mark 
#1 ·
Art Springs is the amazing bassist with this group. Looks to be an old Conn he's playing, and he sounds great. Entire concert footage from 2001.

He sometimes plays tenor when the contrabass played by Don Stevens takes over, or he plays bass along with him!



(Also posted to the Contrabass section. Hope this type of cross-posting is OK, as while it's of the same footage it is to mention different instruments.)
 
#4 ·
Great group, had all their CD's, heck I think I had one cassette. Thought about them the other day when I ran across a glow in the dark Nuclear Whales button that they had included on one of my purchases probably 20 years ago. Loved their stuff, too bad they kinda disappeared a long time ago,
 
#5 ·
I have some of their arrangements and play them with the Sultans of Sax. I've spent many hours listening to Art in the recordings trying to catch everything he does. He was an amazing bass player..
 
#6 ·
There are several Nuclear Whales CDs available on Amazon. My personal favorite is "Thar They Blow!" which begins with "Fanfare for the Common Man." Another standout track is "Souvenir de Porto Rico." I think the Whales disbanded in part because Ann Merrell, the bari player, passed away. She did many of their arrangements. I was lucky enough to see them a couple of times. The contrabass must be seen, felt, and heard to be believed.
 
#7 ·
They were such a great group. I had the pleasure of seeing them in person twice. I even had them all autograph a poster, which still hangs framed on my wall. And, yes, I had almost all of their cassettes and then replaced them all with CDs. Somewhere I even have a t-shirt. Just a great bunch of people.

The two times I saw them, it was after Ann Merrell passed, so they had a man playing bari whose name escapes me.
 
#8 ·
Maybe an arrogant attitude, but their playing sound really corny in my ears. I've never heard them before but they sound like classical trained musicians trying to play something they should let others do instead :)
 
#9 ·
I was happy they existed. Their kind of eclectic programming is not a big thing in the US because our audiences listen for genre - there's a limit to what classical, jazz, etc. listeners will tolerate.

Some of it has to do with the perceived prestige of instruments and styles. Brass groups can get away with some eclecticism because they're established orchestral players. Sax groups haven't earned the same respectability - the few that have are established free-jazz players.
 
#10 ·
I saw them in a large auditorium back in 1999 and it was a full house, including several families with small kids. Their appeal was in their uniqueness. Besides, they had great arrangements and played well, with a theatrical performance. I don't think the reason they disappeared has to do with not fitting in a particular genre.

I was happy they existed. Their kind of eclectic programming is not a big thing in the US because our audiences listen for genre - there's a limit to what classical, jazz, etc. listeners will tolerate.

Some of it has to do with the perceived prestige of instruments and styles. Brass groups can get away with some eclecticism because they're established orchestral players. Sax groups haven't earned the same respectability - the few that have are established free-jazz players.
 
#12 ·
Please tell Art that his playing remains an inspiration.

I bought two of their CDs back in the 90s - "Thar They Blow" and "Gone Fission", and pestered my less-understanding friends with them. Art's bass on both albums is excellent. When I read up on the difficulties usually encountered playing old basses I was even more impressed. So much so that when I got a chance to actually play one it made me realize that any problems could be overcome if one really tried, because hey this guy obviously did!

Oh, and there was only one let-down with that concert footage; when they do "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" Kristen sings the silly vocal. But on the album it is (I presume) Art, and he's fabulous. :D
 
#13 ·
I've reached out to Art in the past and he was quite pleasant and I hope he will chime in. I've been trying to collect the charts of their music for some time but it seems pretty difficult. They used to sell the charts on their website. As for why the bad dissolved, Rackety Sax I believe that they stopped when Ann Stamm Merrell passed away.

Here's a great article by Mark Sowlakis (Soprano/sopranino) about the whales first 10 years. Good read.
 
#14 ·
Indeed a good read, thanks. But wow - "I saw Don recently, and he had given up playing and didn't really seem too interested in digging into that stuff." So does that mean he sold off his contrabass? Or does it languish at his house, or what? Inquiring minds want to know!
 
#17 ·
Indeed, it's great that you've joined us! In '94 I got back into playing bari partly due to the inspirational Whales CDs. I even hunted down a local bass sax (a 1921 Conn) but could not pry it away from the school board that owned it. So, can we pepper you with questions? ;)

(I just realized a good / bad saxophonist pun - Art, pepper…)

As for that contrabass, a bong would perhaps be a better fate than the usual umbrella stand.
 
#18 ·
Hello Art. Thank you and the Whales for doing what you did. You brought back a grand tradition of entertainment for the sax as well as great music.
 
#19 ·
It was probably 1999 or 2000, I just happened to be driving by a local college when I saw a sign about a Nuclear Whales Concert and it was about 10 minutes before the show. I parked and ran up to the ticket window to see if I could still get in. Sadly, but fortunately, I was alone that evening and they had a single seat...dead center in the second row. As a vintage saxophone geek, I had a great evening. It was the first vintage Contrabass I had seen in person. Great entertainment.
 
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