A quick glance at the title — Live at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival — and anyone unfamiliar with New Monsoon's sound would expect some laid-back, front porch pickin' on its latest release. They would be wrong.

At the septet's core lies a percussion trio — Marty Ylitalo (drums), Rajiv Parikh (tabla) and Brian Carey (congas) — which infuses the band with a wide array of worldly sounds: Latin-tinged beats, Indian vibrations, even a didgeridoo.

So what's the deal with San Francisco's New Monsoon playing at a bluegrass festival? Well, sometimes there is a banjo, and sometimes a mandolin, and if you combine that with a guitar … well, it's not exactly bluegrass, but it doesn't easily fit into any other category either. And that's the beauty of Live at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival.

The disc kicks off with "Mountain Air," the longest track on the album, clocking in at almost 12 minutes. It's a slow intro, as the band tinkers around before plunging headlong into a monstrous jam propelled by the banjo workings of Bo Carper. It's a little risky opening an album with such a lengthy instrumental song (although the parameters are different considering the live aspect) yet listeners never get lost; it's a nice initiation into New Monsoon's textured sound. Spilling piano from Phil Ferlino combine with guitar from Jeff Miller and the percussion corner to make it one powerful listen.

"Painted Moon" is a feel good tune, thanks to soaring guitar anthems and the lines "Take a look around you / As you open up your mind / Everything around here / Makes your eyes shine." It's reminiscent of the band moe., as it captures a clean rock sound, and the popular jam band can be heard again on "Rock Springs Road," the closest New Monsoon gets to a ballad.

The opening percussion solos on "Calypso" would make anyone a dance-happy fool as the band showcases just how skilled they are when it comes to drums, building into an explosion of pulsating pounding. And for those who want a hoedown, "Blue Queen" is good for skipping and hopping as New Monsoon effectively achieves a twang both vocally and acoustically before stretching out a little with soft melodies until taking it back to that down home note.

But "Velvet Pouch" is by far the most impressive track on Live at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, not because of guitar riffs or catchy lyrics (although it has that too), but because Parikh spends the first minute of the track vocally imitating his tabla, a jaw-dropping display of scatting skills, until the other members join him a cappella as a jazzy piano enters in the background. The addition of vocals, a Hammond organ, thumping bass from Ben Bernstein and some hair-raising bluesy acoustic guitar make this song the one to listen to over and over again.

Live at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival showcases New Monsoon's ability to keep their jams structured while staying open to exploration and expansive solos, and for any bluegrass, rock or world music fan, is most definitely a welcome addition to the live music scene.

Grade: AB

This article appeared in The Marquette Tribune on April 21 2005.