The Nuclear Whales Saxophone Orchestra’s leading man.

The most unique member of The Nuclear Whales Saxophone Orchestra is a tall, skinny thing with a real deep voice—the rare Buffet (Evette-Shaefer) Eb contrabass saxophone, which weighs 45 pounds and stands six feet, eight inches tall.

When Nuclear Whales founder Don Stevens first heard that a contrabass was for sale in Kentucky, he never imagined owning the mammoth instrument. “It was the furthest thing from my mind at the time,” he says.

But while driving home from a performance at Foothill College in Los Altos, Stevens realized the contrabass would be the perfect instrument for his Santa Cruz-based saxophone band.

After traveling to Kentucky to purchase the saxophone, he had to find a way to get the instrument home to California. He decided to purchase a plane ticket for it. “That was an interesting ride home,” he says.

The trip got “interesting” before Stevens even boarded his flight. The almost seven-foot-tall saxophone, which was wrapped in foam and duct tape for protection, aroused the suspicions of airport security. It was too large to fit through the metal detector or X-ray machine, so Stevens had to blow a few notes to prove that the suspicious package was actually an instrument.

Even after arriving safely in California, Stevens’ ordeals with the instrument were far from over. Since Stevens usually played alto in the group, learning to play an instrument with a pitch an octave lower than normal bass saxophones was quite a challenge.

Also, Stevens realized he would not be able to pick up parts for the rare contrabass at his local music store. Luckily, he found an international company that sold reeds that fit the unusual instrument.

Despite all the difficulties, Stevens is thrilled to be playing the saxophone in The Nuclear Whales Saxophone Orchestra. “I think it is a great sound,” he says. “When you put it in the orchestra, it is a great foundation to put the other voices on top of.”

In addition to adding a deep, resonant boom to songs like “Blue Danube Waltz,” “Sweet Georgia Brown” and Tiny Tim’s “Tiptoe Through the Tulips,” the contrabass is a focal point for The Nuclear Whales Saxophone Orchestra’s shows, which are a blend of choreography, comedy and music.

The contrabass traveled with the orchestra to the Monterey Dixieland Festival a couple of years ago and has toured through China twice, but Stevens says that the huge instrument isn’t the only thing that sets the Nuclear Whales apart from other groups.

“We do a lot of different kinds of music, and it’s a sound most people haven’t heard,” he says. “It always catches people by surprise.”

The Nuclear Whales Saxophone Orchestra performs at the Santa Catalina School’s Performing Arts Center at 8pm this Saturday. Free, reservations required. 655-9310.