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Full Details and Tickets at: https://sfmsfolk.org/concerts/Daves_Jolliff.htmlWe’re excited to be presenting our first ever concert at West Art in Lancaster! Join us up stairs in The Sanctuary and spend an evening with two of the finest bluegrass musicians of our time as they pay tribute to another duo of amazing players.
Acclaimed bluegrass innovators Michael Daves and Jacob Jolliff join forces on We Like Jim & Jesse!, a spirited new duo album paying homage to first-generation bluegrass icons Jim & Jesse and the Virginia Boys. The record arrives as the third release on Daves’ independent label, Wild Geranium Records, continuing his adventurous exploration of American roots music through a modern lens. We Like Jim & Jesse! will be available March 31, 2026 on streaming platforms and via Wild Geranium Records on Bandcamp, both digitally and on CD.
Known for their dazzling interplay, high-lonesome harmony singing, and fearless improvisation, Daves (guitar) and Jolliff (mandolin) channel the elegant drive, laser-like vocal blend, and inventive picking that made Jim & Jesse (McReynolds) pioneers of bluegrass. Recorded with no overdubs in an historic Brooklyn church hall, We Like Jim & Jesse! captures the immediacy of a live performance—just two virtuosos trading leads, harmonies, and smiles across a single vocal mic. Together they breathe new life into the Jim & Jesse songbook, spotlighting the enduring vitality of bluegrass tradition while unveiling fresh interpretations that speak to today’s roots audiences.
The album title references Jim & Jesse’s 1969 country-oriented release We Like Trains as well as the clean-cut, straightforward enthusiasm with which they presented themselves generally. “Their music is compelling because it’s got this genial charm on the surface, almost like pop music, but is backed up with monstrous picking and emotional depth” says Daves. “It doesn’t lead with tortured intensity in the manner of some other bluegrass heroes like Bill Monroe and Hazel Dickens, but there’s some real complexity underlying it.”
Jolliff adds, “it’s been an honor to dig into the Jim and Jesse repertoire. Particularly as a mandolinist, Jesse McReynolds looms large as a triple threat—instrumental virtuoso, singer, and songwriter. Michael and I have attempted to marshal our diverse influences to provide a unique take on this beautiful canon, while still showing our respect for the masters’ untouchable versions.”
Daves was also inspired by a 2019 interview he conducted with Jesse McReynolds for his school of bluegrass vocals on ArtistWorks, where the 90 year-old legend shared stories and insights about his unique lead vocal and mandolin style. “Jesse was a total sweetheart and I was delighted by how this total giant of music was so humble and down-to-earth despite all he had accomplished. It made me want to further explore his catalog and share it with people who may not have dug in yet. And at age 90 he was still writing new tunes every day - how cool!”
Jolliff encountered Jim & Jesse’s music as a prodigious child, performing throughout the Pacific Northwest with his family’s bluegrass band. “The first Jim and Jesse song I learned was Ole Slew Foot—an easy one for a 9 year old kid to latch onto!” Jolliff recalls. “I remember singing that tune with my dad, and then having my mind blown shortly after, when I saw a video of Jesse tearing up the mandolin with his wild banjo-esque vocabulary.”
When McReynolds passed away in July of 2023, Daves and Jolliff had already made plans to record their tribute and hoped to share it with him but they didn’t make it into the studio until December of that year. Jesse’s older brother Jim McReynolds (who played guitar and sang tenor) had passed away in 2002, before either Daves or Jolliff had a chance to meet him or hear him perform.
Daves is no stranger to the guitar-mandolin duo, a format which is foundational to bluegrass style going back to the 1930s. He has previously collaborated with a who’s-who of contemporary mandolinists including Andy Statman, Mike Compton, Sarah Jarosz, and Frank Solivan, and most notably with Chris Thile with whom he shares a GRAMMY nomination for their landmark 2011 duo album Sleep With One Eye Open (Nonesuch). “I thought Jolliff would be the ideal partner for this project because, like Jesse McReynolds, he’s such a rock-solid singer and executes these mind-blowing things on the mandolin without a lot of fanfare. It just made sense, vibe-wise, and I love hearing Jacob’s studied interpretation of Jesse’s style combined with his own wildly unique vocabulary.”
Daves and Jolliff have performed together in various contexts since 2015, and began touring as a duo in 2022, including festival appearances throughout the U.S, in Canada, and in Europe/UK.
Michael Daves: http://www.michaeldaves.com/
Jacob Jolliff: https://www.jacobjolliff.com/
CONCERT INFO: https://sfmsfolk.org/concerts/Daves_Jolliff.html
WEST ART (UP STAIRS IN THE SANCTUARY): https://www.westartlanc.com/
DOORS: 6:30 pm
CONCERT: 7:30 pm
Ticket Prices:
$26 General Admission
$22 SFMS Members
$10 Students
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Event Venue
West Art, 800 Buchanan Ave.,Lancaster, Pennsylvania, United States
Tickets
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