Sporting Black Tie and Sax : Jazz: To bridge the gap between lovers of contemporary and classical, the Leo Potts quartet mixes it up.

Veteran saxophonist Leo Potts says he gets a kick out of Bill Clinton’s performances on the horn. “We’d be happy to have him as a guest artist,” Potts said. But the President-elect probably wouldn’t qualify for Potts’ quartet, which plays tonight in San Juan Capistrano.

Clinton would have to shed the dark glasses and brush up on classical music. The Leo Potts Saxophone Quartet plays jazz and ragtime music, but the members--who wear tuxedos--also play music from the classical repertoire.

“We’re not the bunch of stiff, somber types that most people associate with classical quartets,” Potts was quick to add. The group, he explained, is trying to bridge the gap between those who enjoy jazz and contemporary music and those who love classical music, “so we mix it up.”

Potts, who plays alto sax with the West Coast Saxophone Quartet, formed the Leo Potts Quartet three years ago because he wanted a chance to play soprano sax. The group also includes Cynthia Schmelter on tenor, Martin Mathews on baritone and Edmund Velasco on alto. “It’s like a choir of voices,” Potts said.

“I approached these musicians because they were young, energetic and had a common goal. We want to expand with an eclectic program and reach many people.”

Classical saxophone quartets are common in Europe, but only a few have been established in the United States. “In Europe you can hear saxophone quartets on the airways,” Potts said. “But here the saxophone is associated with raucous jazz and rock. It gets no respect among classical musicians.”

In fact, the saxophone was designed as a classical instrument in the mid-1800s. “Debussy and Marcel Mule composed for it, and it flourished,” Potts noted. But other composers ignored it, and it declined in popularity among the black-tie crowd. “If it wasn’t for the American jazz movement, the saxophone might have died out completely.

“The sax is incredibly versatile,” added Potts, who has recorded with artists ranging from Frank Sinatra to the Temptations. “It can play louder and softer than any of the woodwinds.” Maybe a little Debussy on the Arsenio Hall show would be just the ticket.

The Leo Potts Quartet plays tonight at 7:30 at the San Juan Capistrano Regional Library, 31495 El Camino Real. Donation: $2. Information: (714) 493-1752.