Col. Bruce Hampton and the Aquarium Rescue Unit is a jazz fusion group founded by Col. Bruce Hampton. The band gained popularity in the Atlanta club scene in the early 1990s and went on to tour with the first H.O.R.D.E. Tour. During their formative years, the band was composed of Bruce Hampton, Oteil Burbridge, Jimmy Herring, Jeff Sipe, Matt Mundy, and Count M'Butu. Jeff Mosier and Charlie Williams were members of the band during the early years, but left to pursue other endeavors. Although the band was never commercially successful, their combination of bluegrass, rock, Latin, blues, jazz, funk, and impeccable chops became a template for future bands.
Howard Levy is an American multi-instrumentalist. A keyboardist and virtuoso harmonica player, Levy "has been realistically presented as one of the most important and radical harmonica innovators of the twentieth century."
Steven Bruce Smith is an American drummer best known as a member of the rock band Journey across three stints: 1978 to 1985, 1995 to 1998 and 2015 to 2020. 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.
Oteil Burbridge is an American multi-instrumentalist, specializing on the bass guitar, trained in playing jazz and classical music from an early age. He has achieved fame primarily on bass guitar during the resurgence of the Allman Brothers Band from 1997 through 2014, and as a founding member of the band Dead & Company. Burbridge was also a founding member of The Aquarium Rescue Unit and Tedeschi Trucks Band, with whom his brother Kofi Burbridge was the keyboardist and flautist. He has worked with other musicians including Bruce Hampton, Trey Anastasio, Page McConnell, Bill Kreutzmann and Derek Trucks.
Jerry Goodman is an American violinist known for playing electric violin with The Flock and the jazz fusion ensemble Mahavishnu Orchestra.
The Illustrated Band is the second album from Vida Blue, featuring Phish keyboardist Page McConnell along with bassist Oteil Burbridge and drummer Russell Batiste.
Jazz is Dead is an instrumental Grateful Dead cover band that interprets classic Dead songs with jazz influences. The group is notable in featuring veterans of jazz and jazz fusion ensembles. The group's composition has changed over time, and T Lavitz was the band's only constant member until they reformed in 2015.
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.
In a Perfect World is a 1994 studio album by the Aquarium Rescue Unit. It was the band's first studio album, following two live releases, and their first record following the departure of former frontman Bruce Hampton.
Willis Robert "Billy" Drummond Jr. is an American jazz drummer.
Melvin Seals is an American musician, best known as a longtime member of the Jerry Garcia Band.
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.
Col. Bruce Hampton & the Aquarium Rescue Unit is a live album by the band of the same name. It was recorded at the Georgia Theatre in Athens, Georgia, and was released in 1992 by Capricorn Records. On the album, band leader Bruce Hampton is joined by guitarist Jimmy Herring, mandolin player Matt Mundy, keyboard player Chuck Leavell, bassist Oteil Burbridge, conga player Count Mbutu, and drummer Jeff Sipe, listed as "Apt. Q-258."
The Family Secret is the second album by Oteil and the Peacemakers, a band led by bassist Oteil Burbridge. It was released on CD in 2003 by Artists House. On the album, Burbridge is joined by Mark Kimbrell on guitar, Jason Crosby on keyboards and violin, Kebbi Williams on saxophone, Paul Henson on vocals, and Chris Fryar on drums. The disc is accompanied by a DVD that features a video of the recording session, a lesson with Burbridge, interviews, lead sheets, and more.
Love of a Lifetime is the debut album by Oteil and the Peacemakers, a band led by bassist Oteil Burbridge. It was recorded at The Cave Studio in Atlanta, Georgia, and was released on CD in 1998 by Nile Music. On the album, Burbridge is joined by Kofi Burbridge on flute and keyboards, Mark Kimbrell and Regi Wooten on guitar, Kebbi Williams on saxophone, and Marcus Williams and Woody Williams on drums.
Believer is the third album by Oteil and the Peacemakers, a band led by bassist Oteil Burbridge. It was released on CD in 2005 by Rattlesby Records. On the album, Burbridge is joined by Mark Kimbrell on guitar, Matt Slocum on keyboards, Paul Henson on vocals, and Chris Fryar on drums.
Grateful Jazz is the fourth album by the instrumental Grateful Dead cover band Jazz Is Dead. The original tracks were recorded in 2004 in Hartford, Connecticut, and were then set aside. In anticipation of the fiftieth anniversary of the Grateful Dead, guitarist Jeff Pevar dug up the recordings, added overdubs by a number of guest musicians, and released them on CD in 2015 via his Pet Peev Music. The album features Pevar along with keyboard player T. Lavitz, bassist David Livolsi, and drummer Rod Morgenstein. The album is dedicated to the memory of T. Lavitz.
The Calling is an album by the Aquarium Rescue Unit. The band's second record following the departure of former frontman Bruce Hampton, it was recorded in 2000 at Exocet Studio in Atlanta, Georgia, and was released in 2003 by Inio Music. The album features guitarist Jimmy Herring, keyboardist and flutist Kofi Burbridge, bassist Oteil Burbridge, vocalist Paul Henson, and drummer Sean O'Rourke, plus a number of guest musicians.
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).
School of the Arts is the debut album by the group of the same name, founded and led by keyboardist T Lavitz. It was recorded in 2007, and was released later that year by Magnatude Records. On the album, which was the group's sole release, and which features mostly acoustic instruments, Lavitz is joined by guitarists Frank Gambale and Steve Morse, violinist Jerry Goodman, bassist John Patitucci, and drummer Dave Weckl.
