JasonShadrick

When I first heard of Col. Bruce and the Aquarium Rescue Unit I was taking guitar lessons at a local store and my teacher played me the “Mirrors of Embarrassment” album.  Everything about that album was totally cool from Jimmy’s blazing solos to the interplay with drummer Jeff Sipe and  bassist Oteil Burbridge.

I have recently got to know Oteil and Jimmy a little bit and it occured to me how important those ARU albums were to me and I never really spent time talking to them about it.  However, they did have a TON of great Col. Bruce stories.  From meeting Ralph Towner in DC on night to discussing the possiblities of any blood relation between Col. Bruce and John Abercrombie (they look like they could easily be brothers) it was one story right after another.  After a few of these you get the feeling that their former bandleader is a bit eccentric.

I came across these videos on YouTube and they perfectly describe the Colonel’s famous sense of humor.

Here is Part One:

Here is Part Two:

You can’t make this stuff up.

As one of the leading guitarists in the Jam Scene, Jimmy Herring is a purveyor of all things guitar.

I first heard of Jimmy from one of my guitar teachers who had given me a copy of an Aquarium Rescue Unit CD.  At that time I was really into bands like Gov’t Mule, but I had not come across Jimmy yet.  After listening to the quirkyness of ARU, I was sold.

This year at National Guitar Workshop we have the great fortune of not only bringing in Jimmy for our Jam Summit, but also Oteil Burbridge.  Many, many people have inquired about this and it is sure to be an amazing time.

Both Jimmy and Oteil are educated musicians who really know how to convey musical concepts.

Recently a guitarist on Twitter forwarded me a link to a video of Jimmy playing a Steve Morse tune at a student concert at GIT.

Click Here to see the video.

As you can see, even back in ’85 Jimmy was quite the developed musician. The other guitarists in the video aren’t slouches either.

After I booked Jimmy and Oteil for the Jam Summit, I started to do some research to see what kind of videos are out there.  Here are some of the better ones I found.

Here is a short video of a clinic that Jimmy gave at the Atlanta Institute of Music.

Shawn Lane with Aquarium Rescue Unit:

Jimmy sitting in with the Allman Brothers at the Beacon:

Great Short Documentary on Oteil: