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I believe in the maxim that jazz isn't dead, it just changes. And with that in my mind, I feel Vida Blue got lucky. Because for all the negatives I wanted to spew about The Illustrated Band, the organic musical positives outweigh them. These four, loose-limbed, jam-heavy groove experiments should have failed. But front-man Page McConnell's got a knack for choosing band-mates, and the Blue's latest incarnation with The Spam Allstars is no exception.
McConnell has taken a shot at staking his flag into planet jazz by using that dance-tronic vibe from his first album, and – if you can believe it – taken it much further out. It's obvious he's looking for a unique new sound. Something he can call his own. And on Illustrated, he's fulfilling a kind of modern free-jazz jones with an exotic, head-bobbing bent. Like any good jazzer, McConnell has taken his original creation and morphed it until it's almost unrecognizable.
Legend has it that McConnell was on vacation in Miami last March and felt inspired to record his Vida Blue with the Allstars after seeing them live. The result is less "Vida Blue" than advertised – not really a bad thing. Vida Blue more or less provides a solid backbeat frame for the Spam collective to freak. It's more like The Spam Allstars featuring Vida Blue. And the title cut that kicks things off confirms that feeling, as DJ LeSpam's spinning takes the lead and McConnell sits back in the aural shadows.
Of the four movements, "Charmpit" stands apart as one of the most remarkable. LeSpam's sampling and tight-ass horn bursts by the Allstars' rithmo-loco horn section – AJ Hill (saxophone), Mercedes Abal (flute) and John Speck (trombone) – make for a wonderfully undulating 20 minutes. It's also the only time that McConnell asserts himself to the front of the recording. As the wild, surging tune reaches its final peak McConnell drives his organ home with a bubbly, spirited solo.
The other Vida Blue guys get their turn to shine briefly as well. Although one could easily argue that their rock-steady rhythms shine all over this album, their star turns arrive later, deep inside some long cuts. Drummer Russell Batiste takes a monstrously unique beat into "You Don't Know." The peerless thrum he creates is an otherworldly blend of Cayenne-peppered Cuban. Oteil Burbridge romps and stomps a catchy little bass line right alongside the horns in the open-ended "Little Miami (Reputation)." The most adventurous cut on an album full of adventure, "Miami" showcases an obvious point where the whole Vida-Spam thing really gets a-goin'.
The Illustrated Band is a nice experiment, but it's essentially a glorified, experimental EP, cleverly disguised as Vida Blue's full-length second effort. It's not going to blow you away, but the Vida Spam collective does have endless creativity. The result is just some original-sounding party music, but it goes a long way to solidifying McConnell's insatiable need to blur some more lines. Even still, as good as this collaboration sounds free-forming their way through open-ended ideas, it would be great if they did it again with a little more direction. The cohesiveness certainly shined through in spots, but the lulls and constant gear changing took away from an overall vibe. Loose experiments can be a great thing, but sometimes focus can, too.
Scott Caffrey
JamBase | World Wide
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