Michael Daves and Jacob Jolliff at the Adams Theater
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ADAMS, Mass. — Bluegrass legends Michael Daves and Jacob Jolliff will headline a show at the Adams Theater on April 17.
Locals may recognize them from their 2025 performance at Freshgrass; the wider Bluegrass world is celebrating their upcoming duo album "We Like Jim & Jesse!," out in March on Wild Geranium Records.
According to a press release:
Daves, called "a leading light of the NY bluegrass scene" by the New York Times, is best known for his work with Tony Trischka, Bruce Molsky, and Peter Rowan as well as Chris Thile, with whom he shares a Grammy nomination for their album “Sleep With One Eye Open.” He’s a part-time Adams resident, splitting time between the Berkshires and NYC.
Jolliff has toured extensively with banjo virtuoso Bela Fleck, Yonder Mountain String Band, and his own Jacob Jolliff Band. Their sound is an homage to the classic guitar-mandolin “brother duets” while leaving plenty of room for improvisation and inspired left turns. They effortlessly straddle the line between hard-core traditional bluegrass and experimental forms.
The show starts at 7:30 p.m. and tickets are available via the Adams Theater website.
Daves and Jolliff’s new record pays homage to first-generation bluegrass innovators Jim & Jesse and the Virginia Boys, combining an interpretation of those recordings with the "improvisational fire and rafter-lifting harmonies" that Daves & Jolliff have become known for after years of collaboration.
Daves, born in Atlanta, is also one of the country’s most active bluegrass instructors, with a vocal school on ArtistWorks, presentations at many festivals, camps, and institutions including Carnegie Hall, and a private studio going back to the mid-1990s. Jolliff has become one of the country's most notable contemporary mandolinists, and was a member of the beloved New England roots band Joy Kills Sorrow while attending BerkleeSchool of Music on a full scholarship. In 2012, Jolliff won the National Mandolin Championship in Winfield, KS.
The Adams Theater participates in Mass Cultural Council's Card to Culture program, in collaboration with the Department of Transitional Assistance, the Women, Infants & Children Nutrition Program, and the Mass Health Connector.
EBT, WIC, and ConnectorCare cardholders receive free admission to our shows and events by presenting their cards at our Box Office. See the complete list of participating organizations offering EBT, WIC, and ConnectorCare discounts.
