Vida Blue - The Illustrated Band November 17, 2003 - Jambands Music Magazine By Benjy Eisen Album Review - The Illustrated Band Phish keyboardist Page McConnell's approach to his instrument is usually dictated by how he sees his role in that band. That is to say, he's a team player who knows when to pitch and when to hit. He likes to bat more than throw, and catch more than bat. Vida Blue's self-titled 2002 debut gave him a chance to bust out his curve ball and exercise his pitching hand. And with two tours under its belt, the group played McConnell's outfield game. He called the shots and sang the tunes. The Illustrated Band is not like that. Recorded in just a couple weeks this past spring, the disc is the edited result of jam sessions with Miami Beach's Spam Allstars, a Latin-groove collective including horns and a turntablist. The Spam Allstars' Afro-Cuban influence considerably enhances Vida Blue's palette, and the extra instrumentation allows McConnell the freedom to be himself again. Let me restate that: The Spam Allstars are all over the album. McConnell takes on the role of producer and, we are to assume, creative captain. But there are many moments throughout the album where, if you're not listening closely, McConnell is barely a part of the equation. Admirably, this suits his style. And it drives home the point that, although McConnell may be (in some ways) the bandleader, Vida Blue is not a solo project, nor is it a Phish side-project; Vida Blue is a band. Not only are they a band -- they're an all-star band. But on The Illustrated Band, Vida Blue sometimes becomes more like the Invisible Band. Bassist Oteil Burbridge is tighter here than ever before and drummer Russell Batiste brings the New Orleans' beat because he is the New Orleans' beat. But, as with McConnell's contributions, sometimes if you're not listening closely, Vida Blue itself is barely there. Technically, the Spam Allstars are "special guests" on the album; the liner notes in the advance promotional copy simply read: "Featuring the Spam Allstars." It doesn't even bother to mention their individual names. Yet, let there be no doubt, this is a Spam Allstars album. I say that having never heard the Spam Allstars. For all I know, they could play Canadian folk-rock on their own albums. It wouldn't matter. The Illustrated Band still serves as a launching pad for the Allstars' melodic improvisations. Much like his role in Phish, McConnell's keyboards are an integral and defining part of the music, yet he has no problem letting someone else steer while he paddles. As a result, The Illustrated Band is filled with improvisations that, despite radical differences in tone and intent, share some basic characteristics with Phish jams: A groove is established. Then, a melodic pattern is established, locked in, repeated, and then abandoned in search of something else. Whereas Phish take their time finding this something else, and often get wonderfully sidetracked along the way, The Illustrated Band goes right from one to the next, with some groove-oriented improvisations, horn solos, keyboard tinkers, and, occasionally something from the ones-and-twos, such as a vocal sample or record scratch. Here, the jams often meander horizontally rather than vertically. There aren't any real peaks or valleys. With McConnell's Phish or Burbridge's Allman Brothers, 20-minute jams are captivating and transportive. The Illustrated Band's 20-minute jams aren't quite as engrossing. That would be missing the point. They're wonderful collages really. The four tracks are clearly cut from open-ended jam sessions and edited into open-ended songs, by McConnell in the studio. Thus, The Illustrated Band is Vida Blue's Siket Disc. That said, it is radically different from anything McConnell, Burbridge, or Batiste have ever released in their respective careers. And it's pretty darn cool for that accomplishment alone. It's also just pretty darn cool. The Spam Allstars should be proud of themselves. They've made an entertaining album. And McConnell should be pleased as well, for orchestrating such a project. Review © 2003 Jambands