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Nuclear Whales Saxophone Orchestra: Fathom This: A Retrospective
A Sextet? The Nuclear Whales Saxophone Orchestra is made up of every stripe of saxophone (from top to bottom): sopranino (a specialty of Wessell Anderson), soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass, and contrabass (a 6 foot 8 inch behemoth). This combination achieves an expansive six-and-a-half octave range. The result is a warm, welcome sound conveyed through old-time arrangements.
The Songs. This disc is the equivalent of Dieter Klöcker’s Consortium Classicum, playing the American rather than the Western European Canon. The music ranges from Gershwin’s “Summertime” to Ellington’s “Do Nothing...” to Public Domain’s “Amazing Grace”, all played in a way that makes the listener want to wave the Old Glory. Throw in “Also Sprach Zarathustra” and a couple of originals and you have quite a collection. Accumulated from the group’s previous five discs, Fathom This is a well balance retrospective of this unusual band’s output.
Track Listing
Visitors From the Deep; It don
Personnel
Kelley Hart-Jenkins: Alto and Soprano Saxophones; Dale Mills: Tenor Saxophone; Art Springs: Bass Saxophone; Don Stevens: Alto and Contrabass Saxophones; Keven Stewart: Baritone Saxophone; Kristen Strom: Soprano and Alto Saxophones; Ann Stramm Merrell: Baritone Saxophone.
Album information
Title: Fathom This: A Retrospective | Year Released: 1999 | Record Label: Whaleco Music
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