Bay Area “bluegrass/folk star” Laurie Lewis releases today her new full-length recording, called “a beautiful and landmark album” and “magnificent” by Country Standard Time, a heartfelt tribute to Father of Bluegrass Bill Monroe entitled SKIPPIN’ AND FLYIN’ (Spruce and Maple Music) that captures Lewis’ GRAMMY-winning vocals and special songwriting and arranging.SKIPPIN’ AND FLYIN’ features a fine mix of songs by Monroe himself, Jimmie Rodgers, Maybelle Carter, Del McCoury, Flatt & Scruggs and Utah Phillips; special guest vocalists such as Linda Ronstadt; masterful instrumentation; and new tunes written and/or arranged by fiddler-vocalist-guitarist Lewis — each perfectly suited for the album, described by CST as “the most impressive Bill Monroe tribute to arrive this autumn” but also “the most understated.”“ ... Lewis doesn’t simply mimic what Bill Monroe did in 1947 and 1957; she goes deeper, exploring what he may have heard and been impacted by in earlier years. In doing so, she gets to the roots of Bill Monroe in ways that many other artists have not attempted in 2011. ... By exploring Bill Monroe — his music, his tradition, his influences — in this manner, she has paid him the ultimate tribute,” says CST.Lewis’ album release show is set for November 26, at Freight & Salvage in Berkeley, Calif.She and her band, including her longtime musical partner, mandolin-mandola player and vocalist Tom Rozum, have been touring in support of the release, playing festivals from the East Coast (Virginia) to the West Coast (San Francisco) and making appearances at such events as World of Bluegrass, with more dates coming up.Lewis, twice named IBMA Female Vocalist of the Year for her expressive voice and a GRAMMY Award winner and nominee, says, “I realize, looking back, that my one way as a musician and songwriter and my whole approach to making music were influenced in various ways by what I found in Bill Monroe’s music.”