Monroe Bus

Inspired by a dream in which Bill Monroe, generally acknowledged as the father of bluegrass, lamented a lack of appreciation for his contribution to the world, mandolin maestro Andy Statman has produced a wildly imaginative ride that takes in a lot of scenery. From the classic hoedown swing of the title-track and the prog-rock gambol of ‘Ice Cream on the Moon’ to the retro-pop shine of ‘Ain't No Place for a Girl Like You’ and groovy gospel shimmy of ‘Brorby's Blues’, Monroe Bus covers a lot of ground in a dozen tracks. A droning modal wonder, ‘Old East River Road’ features Statman sinuously riffing to the lugubrious beat of a Persian hand drum. On ‘Statman Romp’ the mandolin, fiddle and cornet take the listener on a daring thrill ride. In addition to regular trio-mates Jim Whitney (bass) and Larry Eagle (drums), Statman is joined on Monroe Bus by Glenn Patscha (keyboards), Michael Daves (guitar), Michael Cleveland (ten-time IBMA Fiddler of the Year) and special guests Mark Berney (cornet) and Jeffrey Werbock (percussion and kamancheh). Even for listeners who generally steer around bluegrass, this trip is worth the price of the ticket.