After wowing audiences as part of Béla Fleck’s band last year, mandolinist Jacob Jolliff returns to Rockport this summer with his own band in tow. A former member of two massively popular progressive bluegrass bands, Joy Kills Sorrow and the Yonder Mountain String Band, Jolliff remains one of the country’s premier contemporary mandolinists.

“Jacob is a serious player…he is a mandolinist to watch.” — Béla Fleck

While attending Berklee School of Music on a full scholarship, Jacob was a member of the beloved New England roots band Joy Kills Sorrow.  In 2012, Jolliff won the National Mandolin Championship in Winfield, KS. A fixture of the national bluegrass community, he has collaborated and shared the stage with Darol Anger, Sam Bush, Ronnie McCoury, Michael Daves, Tony Trischka, and David Grisman to name a few. When Joy Kills Sorrow disbanded in 2014, Jolliff got the call to join Yonder Mountain String Band and toured full time with them until the end of 2019. This last year, Jolliff released a new album with his group, The Jacob Jolliff Band, and also toured with Béla Fleck’s as part of his My Bluegrass Heart tour.

Now in 2023, the mandolinist’s main focus is The Jacob Jolliff Band. This ensemble is a group of virtuosic pickers that play Jacob’s original instrumentals, as well as showcase his singing. They tour nationally in the US and have also travelled to Scotland and Australia to perform. The group has released two albums, “Instrumentals Vol. 1” in 2018 and “The Jacob Jolliff Band” in 2022.

The Jacob Jolliff Band:
Jacob Jolliff, mandolin, vocals |  Myles Sloniker, bass |  Ross Martin, guitar |  George Jackson, fiddle

Note: For some concerts, the window behind the stage may need to be covered for acoustical purposes. We do not always know which artists will need the window closed, but at a certain level of amplification, it is necessary.