Vida Blue offers great pitch selection January 9, 2004 - The Record (New Jersey) By Salvatore Tuzzeo Jam trio meshes varied musical styles It's true, Vida Blue is a side project. But don't think that its members are any less serious than they are in their full-time gigs, any less devoted to their craft, creating jazz-based whirling dervishes of free-form/funk. In fact, the trio - Phish keyboardist Page McConnell, Allman Brothers Band bass player Oteil Burbridge, and legendary Funky Meters stick man Russell Batiste - have turned their collective into a legitimate player on the jam band scene after just two full- length albums. Still, second fiddle it is. "I sort of have to see Vida Blue as a side project because of how I feel about Phish," says McConnell, a native of Basking Ridge. "If something were to come up, Phish would come first." He adds, "Not to take away at all from Vida Blue, because I feel it's a really fun and genuine band, but it's a side project, not just for me but for Oteil and Russell as well." Vida Blue - named after the retired Oakland A's pitcher - formed in 2001 as a way for its leader, McConnell, to explore other musical avenues as well as to stave off the creative doldrums during an extended hiatus. While other Phish players had been sowing their musical oats with myriad side projects, solo works, and other activities, McConnell - the least prolific of the gang up to that point - thought it was time to do the same. "For about the first year, I really didn't do too much. I mean, I played on the Tenacious D. record and did a few little side things, but I didn't really have a project of my own at all. And for a year I was comfortable with that," he said, chuckling. "I had a feeling Phish would be getting back together again, and I wanted to come back and feel like I had done something. It was as simple as starting a list and figuring out what musicians I would like to play with and what kind of a band I might be able to put together and who might be involved. Then, within the span of two weeks, I saw Russell play with the Funky Meters at Irving Plaza and Oteil play the Beacon Theatre with the Allman Brothers Band. The light bulb went off in my head, and I thought we'd make a cool keyboard trio." McConnell introduced Batiste and Burbridge, and the three began to collaborate, meshing musical styles. McConnell says he's benefited from the experience. "I feel, personally, I've grown quite a bit musically in both the style and aggressiveness with which I play," he says. "I've learned a lot playing with a trio, because when we play, it's my responsibility for what's going on. Other than the bass and drums, if I don't play, nothing really happens." On Vida Blue's most recent CD, "The Illustrated Band," released in October on Sanctuary, McConnell drafted the Miami-based Afro- Cuban sextet the Spam Allstars, who flavor the album with Latin rhythms and a beat-heavy sensibility. "I saw the Spam Allstars in Miami and immediately knew that I wanted them to play with Vida Blue. I thought it would be cool to put the two bands together. They are just a great Cuban, DJ, Latin funk band. ... It was one of those moments where I knew instantly that I had to get the two outfits together," McConnell says. The keyboardist also said that if Vida Blue can change its sound with such ease, why not keep trying? "It's opened up the possibility that Vida Blue could be any number of things. It could be a trio. It could be a 10-piece band. Maybe it will be a rock band or a straight-ahead jazz band. Who knows? It even opened up the possibility that Vida Blue could be this rhythm section that works with all different artists, and each album could be its own portrait. "Now I'm thinking this band could do anything." Article Copyright © 2004 The Record