Jeff Sipe
Rhythm
Longtime bandmate Jimmy Herring has said that Jeff “lives for live music.” Jeff’s musical path began in sixth grade when he first sat behind a drum kit. In 1975 he took an early step toward a life in music by enrolling at the Shenandoah Conservatory. Two years later he realized a major dream when he was accepted to Berklee College of Music, where he was surrounded by an exceptional group of peers, including Branford Marsalis, Bill Frisell, Mike Stern, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Kevin Eubanks, Dean Parks, and Steve Vai.
During his Boston years, Jeff formed the band Winter with Steve Vai and Baron Brown. That experience widened his rhythmic vocabulary and opened creative doors that continue to influence his playing.
In 1983 Jeff moved to Atlanta, diving into gigging and teaching at the Atlanta Institute of Music. Through keyboardist Dan Wall he met Col. Bruce Hampton—appropriately at a wedding—and the musical chemistry was immediate. Jeff soon invited Oteil Burbridge and Jimmy Herring to join the experiment, and the Aquarium Rescue Unit was born.
Over the years he has collaborated widely, including work with Keller Williams, Susan Tedeschi, Jeff Coffin, Jonas Hellborg and Shawn Lane, in addition to spending three years with Leftover Salmon. During this period, Jeff launched the Zambiland Orchestra—an experimental big band featuring Ricky Keller conducting members of Phish, Widespread Panic, the Derek Trucks Band, MOE, Little Feat, Sam Bush, John Cowan, Warren Haynes, and many others.
A dedicated educator, he formerly taught at the Atlanta Institute of Music and continues to teach privately and through workshops, sharing his deep musical knowledge with students of all levels. Jeff’s current projects are the New Dawn Starkestra, the Jeff Sipe Trio, and Darrell Scott’s Electric Band. Jeff lives for live music.
