Vida Blue - The Illustrated Band December 14, 2003 - City Beat San Francisco By Mike Breen Album Review - The Illustrated Band Four tracks in a little over an hour would pretty much define a Jam album, so that's the bin card identifying Vida Blue's sophomore release, The Illustrated Band. Phish keyboardist Page McConnell hadn't intended to do another album on the heels of Vida Blue's debut last year, but a vacation in Miami Beach last March led him to Afro-Cuban faves the Spam Allstars, a group that mixes Latin traditionalism with turntabling and sampling. McConnell, bassist Oteil Burbridge, drummer Russell Batiste and the Spam Allstar crew hooked up at the Bee Gees' Miami Beach studio and improvised for a couple of weeks -- The Illustrated Band's 60 minute run time is a fraction of the monster jams the two bands created together. Vida Blue's masterful Funk/R&B foundation and the Spam Allstars's vibrant, slinky and completely contemporary Cuban Jazz groove combine for a monumentally soulful Latin album. Note to fans: Two 20-minute jams may cause tedium. Note to band: One jam album is plenty. Next time, impose song structure and real songwriting and truly show off the genius of this collaboration. Review © 2003 Miami New Times (Florida)