Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán is an American guitarist who rose to fame in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band Santana, which pioneered a fusion of Rock and roll and Latin American jazz. Its sound featured his melodic, blues-based lines set against Latin American and African rhythms played on percussion instruments not generally heard in rock, such as timbales and congas. He experienced a resurgence of popularity and critical acclaim in the late 1990s. In 2015, Rolling Stone magazine listed him at No. 20 on their list of the 100 greatest guitarists. He has won 10 Grammy Awards and three Latin Grammy Awards, and was inducted along with his namesake band into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.
Shawn Lane was an American musician who released two studio albums and collaborated with a variety of musicians including Ringo Starr, Kris Kristofferson, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Reggie Young, Joe Walsh, Jonas Hellborg, Anders Johansson, Jens Johansson and many others. After studying the piano, he mastered the guitar, which he played with exceptional speed.
Mike Varney is an American record producer and music publisher. He is the founder of the Shrapnel Label Group, which includes Shrapnel Records, Tone Center Records, and Blues Bureau International. He also has a 50% stake in Magna Carta Records, a New York-based label. Varney is often credited with being the individual most responsible for popularizing the mid-1980s shred guitar boom, and has continuously specialized in producing musicians within the genres of instrumental rock, hard rock, jazz, jazz fusion, blues, blues-rock, progressive metal, and speed metal.
Jimmy Herring is the lead guitarist for the band Widespread Panic. He is a founding member of Aquarium Rescue Unit and Jazz Is Dead and has played with The Allman Brothers Band, Project Z, Derek Trucks Band, Phil Lesh and Friends, and The Dead.
The Dixie Dregs is an American rock band from Augusta, Georgia. Formed in 1970, the band's performance consists entirely of instrumentals that fuse elements of diverse genres such as rock, classical music, country, jazz and bluegrass into an eclectic sound that is difficult to categorize. Recognized for their virtuoso playing, the Dixie Dregs were identified with the southern rock, progressive rock and jazz fusion scenes of the 1970s.
Steven Bruce Smith is an American drummer best known as a member of the rock band Journey across three tenures. Modern Drummer magazine readers have voted him the No. 1 All-Around Drummer five years in a row. In 2001, the publication named Smith one of the Top 25 Drummers of All Time, and in 2002 he was voted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Journey on April 7, 2017.
Rob Wasserman was an American composer and bass player. A Grammy Award and NEA grant winner, he played and recorded with a wide variety of musicians including Bob Weir, Bruce Cockburn, Elvis Costello, Ani di Franco, Jerry Garcia, David Grisman, Stéphane Grappelli, Rickie Lee Jones, Van Morrison, Aaron Neville, Lou Reed, Pete Seeger, Jules Shear, Brian Wilson, Chris Whitley, Neil Young, Jackson Browne, Laurie Anderson, Stephen Perkins, Banyan, Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo, and Ratdog.
Paul Hanson is an American bassoonist, saxophonist, duduk player, and composer with roots in jazz and classical music.
Terry "T" Lavitz was an American keyboardist, composer and producer. He is best known for his work with the Dixie Dregs and Jazz Is Dead.
Richard Allen Stuverud Jr. is an American drummer from Seattle, Washington. He lives in Oakland, California where he writes, arranges and produces songs. He plays with the Oakland bands, REQ'D, Slow Phase and Lefav and collaborated with lyricist, Derek McCulloch on “Memories in Kodachrome” Stuverud’s debut solo record, released May 1, 2020. A follow-up, "Hummingbirds" was released in March, 2022. A 7" vinyl, "Not Afraid/Put your Guns Down" written by Stuverud in response to the Paris attacks and against gun violence was produced by Pearl Jam's Jeff Ament and released by Monkey Wrench Records in 2017.
Jeff Sipe, also known as Apt. Q258, is an American drummer. He is a rock and jazz fusion drummer but is proficient in other styles. He is a founding member of Aquarium Rescue Unit with Bruce Hampton. He was a member of Leftover Salmon and the Zambiland Orchestra, an experimental big band with members of Phish and Widespread Panic. He has toured with Trey Anastasio, Jeff Coffin, Jimmy Herring, Warren Haynes, and Keller Williams.
Personae is a live album by bassist Jonas Hellborg, released on 26 February 2002 through Bardo Records. The album continues the series of live recordings by the trio of Hellborg, guitarist Shawn Lane, and drummer Jeff Sipe.
Jonathan Scales is an American steel pannist and composer. He has recorded and produced seven albums, the most recent being Mindstate Music, released in 2019 on Ropeadope Records. Since 2007, Scales has recorded and performed with Victor Wooten, Howard Levy, The Duhks, Roy "Future Man" Wooten, Jeff Coffin, Jeff Sipe, Casey Driessen, Oteil Burbridge, Kofi Burbridge, Yonrico Scott, and Béla Fleck whom Scales describes as his "musical hero". His albums have been reviewed by Modern Drummer and JazzTimes. Scales graduated from Appalachian State University in 2006.
Laughing Water is a live album by the instrumental Grateful Dead cover band Jazz Is Dead. Subtitled Wake of the Flood Revisited, it is a reinterpretation of the Grateful Dead's 1973 album. It was JID's second release, and was recorded in April 1999 at the Fox Theater in Boulder, Colorado, and Maritime Hall, in San Francisco, California, and issued later that year by Zebra Records. The album features guitarist Jimmy Herring, keyboard player T. Lavitz, bassist Alphonso Johnson, and drummers Rod Morgenstein and Jeff Sipe, along with guest artists Vassar Clements (violin), Donna Jean Godchaux (vocals), Steve Kimock (guitar), and Derek Trucks.
Endangered Species is the debut album by the band of the same name. The group's sole release, it was issued in 2001 by Tone Center Records. The album features guitarist Jimmy Herring, keyboardist T. Lavitz, drummer Richie Hayward, and bassist Kenny Gradney.
Lifeboat is an album by guitarist Jimmy Herring. His first release as a leader, it was recorded in Georgia, United States, and was issued by Abstract Logix in 2008. On the album, Herring is joined by keyboardist and flutist Kofi Burbridge, bassist Oteil Burbridge, and drummer Jeff Sipe, along with guest musicians Greg Osby (saxophone), Derek Trucks, Bobby Lee Rodgers, Ike Stubblefield (organ), Scott Kinsey (organ), Matt Slocum (keyboards), and Tyler Greenwell (drums).
Jeff Sipe Trio is the debut album by the group of the same name, led by drummer Jeff Sipe. It was recorded in August and September, 2013, at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, and was released in 2014 by Abstract Logix. On the album, Sipe is joined by guitarist Mike Seal and bassist Taylor Lee.
Subject to Change Without Notice is an album by guitarist Jimmy Herring. His second release as a leader, it was recorded in Georgia, United States, and was issued on LP and CD by Abstract Logix in 2012. On the album, which was produced by John Keane, Herring is joined by keyboardist Matt Slocum, bassists Neal Fountain and Etienne Mbappe, and drummer Jeff Sipe, along with guest musicians Bill Evans (saxophone), Béla Fleck (banjo), Tyler Greenwell (drums), Carter Herring (cello), Nicky Sanders (violin), and Ike Stubblefield (organ).
Boston T Party is an album by drummer Dennis Chambers, bassist Jeff Berlin, guitarist David Fiuczynski, and keyboardist T Lavitz. It was recorded in Massachusetts and Florida during September 2005, and was released in 2006 by Mascot Records.
Improvision is an album by guitarist Alex Machacek, drummer Jeff Sipe, and bassist Matthew Garrison. It was recorded in April 2007, and was released later that year by Abstract Logix.
