Col. Bruce Hampton and the Aquarium Rescue Unit
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Col. Bruce Hampton and the Aquarium Rescue Unit is a
jazz fusion Jazz fusion (also known as fusion and progressive jazz) is a music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and jazz improvisation, improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, ...
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. Horizons of Rock Developing Everywhere or H.O.R.D.E. Festival was a touring summer rock music festival originated by the musical group Blues Traveler in 1992. In addition to travelling headliners, the festival gave exposure to bands, charities, a ...
Tour. During their formative years, the band was composed of Bruce Hampton, Oteil Burbridge,
Jimmy Herring Jimmy Herring (born January 22, 1962) 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 a ...
, Jeff Sipe, Matt Mundy, and
Count M'Butu The Derek Trucks Band was an American blues rock group founded by young slide guitar prodigy Derek Trucks, who began playing guitar and touring with some of blues and rock music's elite when he was just nine years old. After experimenting as an a ...
. 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 Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
,
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
,
blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...
,
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
,
funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...
, and impeccable chops became a template for future bands.


History

The band originated from a weekly Atlanta jam session hosted by Hampton (from the
Hampton Grease Band The Hampton Grease Band was an American rock band, beginning as a blues rock group in the late 1960s in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. They performed with several major bands in this period, including Grateful Dead and the Allman Brothers. The ...
and
The Late Bronze Age The Late Bronze Age was an American band of the 1980s that performed surrealist, eclectic, and unusual music described by some as "unabashedly weird." It was fronted by Bruce Hampton, in his first appearance under the "Col. Bruce Hampton (ret.)" per ...
) and eventually toured around the Southeastern United States with Hampton, Herring, Burbridge, Sipe, Mundy, and M'Butu. This lineup produced two albums released on Capricorn Records; ''
Col. Bruce Hampton and the Aquarium Rescue Unit 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 formati ...
'', in 1992, and ''
Mirrors of Embarrassment ''Mirrors of Embarrassment'' is an album by the American band Col. Bruce Hampton and the Aquarium Rescue Unit. It is dedicated to Wayne Bennett. The band supported the album by touring with the 1993 H.O.R.D.E. festival. Bruce Hampton left the ba ...
'', in 1993. During the summer of 1992, the group helped start the
H.O.R.D.E. Horizons of Rock Developing Everywhere or H.O.R.D.E. Festival was a touring summer rock music festival originated by the musical group Blues Traveler in 1992. In addition to travelling headliners, the festival gave exposure to bands, charities, a ...
tour with such like-minded bands as
Phish Phish is an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band is known for musical improvisation, extended jams, blending of genres, and a dedicated fan base. The band consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon ...
,
Spin Doctors Spin Doctors are an American alternative rock band from New York City, best known for their early 1990s hits "Two Princes" and "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong", which peaked on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart at No. 7 and N ...
,
Blues Traveler Blues Traveler (formerly known as "The Establishment" or "The Black Cat Jam" or "The Establishment Blues Band") is an American rock band that formed in Princeton, New Jersey in 1987. They are known for extensive use of segues in live performance ...
,
Bela Fleck & the Flecktones Bela may refer to: Places Asia *Bela Pratapgarh, a town in Pratapgarh District, Uttar Pradesh, India *Bela, a small village near Bhandara, Maharashtra, India *Bela, another name for the biblical city Zoara * Bela, Dang, in Nepal * Bela, Janakpur, ...
, and
Widespread Panic Widespread Panic is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. The current lineup includes guitarist/singer John Bell, bassist Dave Schools, drummer Duane Trucks, percussionist Domingo "Sunny" Ortiz, keyboardist John "JoJo" Hermann, and guit ...
. Members of these bands would frequently tour, perform, and record with one another. Béla Fleck and John Popper contributed on ''Mirrors of Embarrassment'' and Popper also contributed to ''The Benefit Concert Vol. 2''.
Chuck Leavell Charles Alfred Leavell (born April 28, 1952) is an American musician. A member of the Allman Brothers Band throughout their commercial zenith in the 1970s, he subsequently became a founding member of the band Sea Level. He has served as the pri ...
played on ARU's first two albums on Capricorn Records. Also in 1992 Billy Bob Thornton directed the movie ''Widespread Panic: Live from the Georgia Theatre'' which features a music video for "
Basically Frightened "Basically Frightened" is a song written by Col. Bruce Hampton, Tinsley Ellis and Ricky Keller. The song was first recorded and released on Col. Bruce Hampton's 1986 solo album "Arkansas" on Landslide Records. The song was frequently performed b ...
" performed by Col. Bruce Hampton & The Aquarium Rescue Unit with
Chuck Leavell Charles Alfred Leavell (born April 28, 1952) is an American musician. A member of the Allman Brothers Band throughout their commercial zenith in the 1970s, he subsequently became a founding member of the band Sea Level. He has served as the pri ...
and Count M'Butu.


Break-up

In 1993 the band lost two key members when Matt Mundy retired from the band and Hampton soon followed. Oteil, Herring and Sipe continued to tour as "The Aquarium Rescue Unit." The band had a rotating outer cast of members over the years, including lead vocalist Paul Henson; Oteil's brother, Kofi Burbridge on keyboards, flute, back-up vocals; and drummer Sean O'Rourke. They recorded additional studio albums as Aquarium Rescue Unit: 1994's ''eeePee'' and ''
In A Perfect World In a Perfect World may refer to: * ''In a Perfect World'' (Aquarium Rescue Unit album), 1994 * ''In a Perfect World'' (Kodaline album), 2013 * '' In a Perfect World...'', a 2009 album by Keri Hilson * "In a Perfect World", a song by Bananarama fr ...
'', and 2003's '' The Calling''. The remaining original members started to leave as they received offers from other larger acts. Jeff Sipe joined with Jonas Hellborg and the late
Shawn Lane Shawn Lane (March 21, 1963 – September 26, 2003) 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, Reg ...
in 1995, and over the years has played with Leftover Salmon, Susan Tedeschi,
Phil Lesh Philip Chapman Lesh (born March 15, 1940) is an American musician and a founding member of the Grateful Dead, with whom he played bass guitar throughout their 30-year career. After the band's disbanding in 1995, Lesh continued the tradition of ...
, and Trey Anastasio. Currently Jeff Sipe is playing drums for
Keller Williams Keller Williams is an American singer, songwriter and musician who combines elements of bluegrass, folk, alternative rock, reggae, electronica/dance, jazz, funk, along with other assorted genres. He is often described as a 'one-man jam-band' d ...
's new band the WMDs. In 1997, Oteil Burbridge replaced Allen Woody in The Allman Brothers Band. Burbridge also played in Phish keyboardist Page McConnell's side project Vida Blue, on Trey Anastasio's Surrender to the Air, and in his own occasional project, Oteil And The Peacemakers. He continued to play with the Allman Brothers Band until the band officially broke up on 10/28/2014. During the last few years of his time with the Allman Brothers, Oteil was also a full-time member the Tedeschi Trucks Band. He was asked to fill the bass slot in the post-
Fare Thee Well Fare Thee Well may refer to: * "Fare Thee Well" (poem), an 1816 poem by Lord Byron * "Fare Thee Well" (song), an English folk ballad * "Dink's Song "Dink's Song" (sometimes known as "Fare Thee Well") is an American folk song played by many folk ...
incarnation of The Grateful Dead when
Phil Lesh Philip Chapman Lesh (born March 15, 1940) is an American musician and a founding member of the Grateful Dead, with whom he played bass guitar throughout their 30-year career. After the band's disbanding in 1995, Lesh continued the tradition of ...
decided he no longer wanted to tour. This project is called Dead & Company.
Jimmy Herring Jimmy Herring (born January 22, 1962) 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 a ...
co-founded
Jazz Is Dead Jazz Is Dead may refer to * Jazz Is Dead (band): a Grateful Dead instrumental cover band * Jazz Is Dead (record label): a Los Angeles record label and recording series {{Disambiguation ...
in 1998, then toured and recorded with
supergroup Supergroup or super group may refer to: * Supergroup (music), a music group formed by artists who are already notable or respected in their fields * Supergroup (physics), a generalization of groups, used in the study of supersymmetry * Supergroup ...
Frogwings Frogwings was an American jam band supergroup founded by Allman Brothers Band drummer Butch Trucks. Despite the fact that they were popular on the jam band circuit and at festivals, the group released only one album. Background In mid-1997, durin ...
, The Allman Brothers Band, Project Z, Phil Lesh and Friends, and The Dead. In 2006 Herring was asked to join
Widespread Panic Widespread Panic is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. The current lineup includes guitarist/singer John Bell, bassist Dave Schools, drummer Duane Trucks, percussionist Domingo "Sunny" Ortiz, keyboardist John "JoJo" Hermann, and guit ...
with whom he has recorded and toured extensively.


Reunion

In 2004 Hampton, Herring, Sipe, Burbridge and M'Butu reunited for several shows as the original Col. Bruce Hampton and Aquarium Rescue Unit. They continued with eight shows in Colorado and the Southeast between January 2006 and May 2007. Bobby Lee Rodgers of
The Codetalkers The Codetalkers were a jazz, rock and roll band from Savannah, Georgia, composed of Bobby Lee Rodgers, (lead vocals, electric banjo, guitar, "air trombone"), Mark Raudabaugh (drums, vocals) and Andrew Altman ( bass, vocals). The band was formed ...
was asked to sit in on
banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...
and vocals, taking the place of Matt Mundy who has retired from performing. By 2007 each member of the original lineup was an accomplished artist in their own right: Herring with
Widespread Panic Widespread Panic is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. The current lineup includes guitarist/singer John Bell, bassist Dave Schools, drummer Duane Trucks, percussionist Domingo "Sunny" Ortiz, keyboardist John "JoJo" Hermann, and guit ...
, Burbridge with two bands: The Allman Brothers Band and Oteil and The Peacemakers, Sipe with Trey Anastasio and Leftover Salmon, M'Butu with The Derek Trucks Band, and Hampton with Col. Bruce & The Quark Alliance. Aquarium Rescue Unit reunited for the reopening of the Georgia Theatre in Athens, Georgia, on August 8, 2011. The lineup included Col. Bruce Hampton, Jimmy Herring, Oteil Burbridge, Jeff Sipe and
Matt Slocum Matt Slocum (born 27 December 1972) is a guitarist, cellist, pianist and composer, known for his work as the principal songwriter and lead guitarist of Sixpence None the Richer. Biography Born in Rhode Island to Joseph and Hildegard Slocum, ...
on keyboards. On March 24, 2015, via Facebook, Col. Bruce Hampton announced the band was getting back together for shows scheduled for summer 2015. The band returned to the lineup of Hampton, Oteil Burbridge, Jimmy Herring, Matt Slocum and Jeff Sipe.


Discography


Aquarium Rescue Unit with Hampton

*'' Col. Bruce Hampton & the Aquarium Rescue Unit'' (1992) – Live album – Capricorn Records *''
Mirrors of Embarrassment ''Mirrors of Embarrassment'' is an album by the American band Col. Bruce Hampton and the Aquarium Rescue Unit. It is dedicated to Wayne Bennett. The band supported the album by touring with the 1993 H.O.R.D.E. festival. Bruce Hampton left the ba ...
'' (1993) – Studio album – Capricorn Records *''Warren Haynes Presents: The Benefit Concert, Vol. 2'' (2007) – Live album – Evil Teen Records


Aquarium Rescue Unit without Hampton

*''
In a Perfect World In a Perfect World may refer to: * ''In a Perfect World'' (Aquarium Rescue Unit album), 1994 * ''In a Perfect World'' (Kodaline album), 2013 * '' In a Perfect World...'', a 2009 album by Keri Hilson * "In a Perfect World", a song by Bananarama fr ...
'' (1994) – Studio album – Velvet Dwarf Records *''eeePee'' (1994) *'' The Calling'' (2003) - Studio album - Inio Music


References


External links


Official Website
{{Authority control Jam bands Rock music groups from Georgia (U.S. state) Capricorn Records artists Musical groups from Atlanta