Vida Blue - The Illustrated Band January 2, 2004 - The Washington Post By Mark Jenkins Album Review - The Illustrated Band Open the cardboard panels that shield Vida Blue's "The Illustrated Band" CD, and this credit will be revealed: "featuring the Spam Allstars." That information might have been featured more prominently, since the Allstars, a Miami sextet, are considerably more than sidemen on the second album by Phish keyboardist Page McConnell's other band. During most of these four sprawling jazz-rock sorties, the Blues function as the rhythm section for Allstars namesake DJ Le Spam and his band's two percussionists and three-piece horn section. Whatever the billing, McConnell and his bandmates -- Allman Brothers Band bassist Oteil Burbridge and Funky Meters drummer Russell Batiste -- complement the Allstars' Afro-Cuban style. The 24-minute "Charmpit," for example, opens with traditional Yoruba chanting, which ultimately flows from the same source as the Meters' second-line funk. The three tracks that break the 10-minute mark all follow the same pattern: Brisk at first, meandering for a while and finally reenergized. McConnell is credited with writing most of the music, and his keyboards do sometimes take the lead. More often than not, though, Vida Blue's guests are the stars of this show. Review © 2004 Washington Post