So it was and so it goes…Of course the Colonel did join his former recruits for one show at the Warren Haynes Christmas Jam on December 21, 2000 and hope looms for another appearance…
By total coincidence, original Aquarium Rescue Unit members Jeff Sipe, Oteil Burbridge and Jimmy Herring are playing in the Boston area this Friday night – at three different venues. Sipe is playing drums with Leftover Salmon at the Paradise in Boston, Oteil is playing bass with Soulive at the Middle East in Cambridge and Herring is playing guitar with Jazz is Dead at the Somerville Theater. Speculation of a partial ARU reunion is the buzz around town.
‘Leftover Jazz aint Dead and ARU Soul lives in Boston on Nov 19!’ proclaims Andrew Stahl, owner of Gamelan Productions who is promoting the Oteil/Soulive show. ‘I’m trying very diligently to get at least three of the five original (ARU) members in the same room and I’m gonna try to get them on stage together, but it depends on when the (tour) busses leave town. There’s a slight chance it could take place at the Somerville Theater, but a better chance it could happen at the Middle East.’ Here’s where things get tricky. The Leftover show starts at 8:30 and will end sometime before the Paradise’s strict 11 p.m. curfew. Jazz is Dead’s set time is still up in the air, but it should start between 8:30 and 9 in Somerville and Soulive’s set with Oteil kicks off at 11:45 p.m. in Cambridge. Alex Wise of Planetary Groove Productions is promoting the Jazz is Dead show and has extended invitations to both Sipe and Burbridge. ‘In each artist’s case it is not known for certain if the extended members of the ARU will jam together, despite their known propensity to do so,’ says Wise. ‘However, after Jeff accepted our invitation to come over after his gig at the Paradise, the management for Jazz is Dead has inquired as to whether we can provide a right handed drum kit, (Rod Morgenstein is lefty) so they ‘can reprise their two drummer magic.’ We are starting no rumors here – we are merely sharing the facts as they stand currently. We will bend over backwards to make possible any special reunion jam.’