On Stage: Chavous part of new schedule at Jamey’s

The arrival of a new year frequently means the arrival of new things – the arrival of changes.

Jamey’s House of Music (32 South Lansdowne Avenue, Lansdowne, 215-477-9985,www.jameyshouseofmusic.com) has moved into 2025 by changing one of its weekly traditions.

For years, Jamey’s had a jazz-based show every Thursday called “Jazz at Jamey’s” and an event every Sunday called “Sunday Blues Brunch & Jam.”

“Starting January 1, we switched from ‘Jazz Jams’ to a monthly series with four or five themed shows each Thursday,” said Jamie Reilly, owner and manager of Jamey’s House of Music.

The series will slam into high gear on January 16 with a performance by Lisa Chavous and the Philadelphia Blues Messengers.

“I’ve been busy doing things – getting the year started with new entertainment,” said Chavous, during a phone interview Wednesday afternoon.

“Jamey’s is one of them. I’ll be playing there every third Thursday with different themes — including some doo-wop singers.

“My music covers a lot of genres including Motown, jazz, blues, funk, hip-hop, soul – mostly soul. When I play Jamey’s, it’s mostly blues.

“This series that Jamey’s is doing – I think it’s a great idea. Delaware County could use something different. Mature audiences can appreciate it.”

Chavous has played Jamey’s numerous times in recent years and has become one of the favorite performers of the venue’s audiences.

“I’m excited about this week,” said Chavous. “It’s a blues revue — ‘Lisa Chavous and the Philadelphia Blues Messengers.’

“The lead guitarist is Mike Albrecht, who has been my guitarist for the last 10 years.”

Her band for Thursday’s show also features Gene Hawrylak on guitar and vocals, Napolean Black on percussion, Charles Beasley on bass, Larry Hambrecht on harmonica and vocals, Tony Day on drums and percussion and Chavous on vocals.

“Tony is from Atlantic City and the rest are from the Philly area,” said Chavous. “Larry is from Chestnut Hill and Gene is from Germantown.”

Chavous is a Delaware County girl all the way.

She grew up in Sharon Hill and graduated from Darby Township High School. She studied for a career in nursing at a hospital in Delaware County. Now, Chavous is a resident of Lansdown and could easily walk to Friday’s gig if she so desires.

“I love it there,” said Chavous. “It’s my neighborhood. It’s right around the corner.”

Chavous is making a return visit to Jamey’s House of Music – the venue where she had a CD release party for her most recent album, “Breaking Down the Walls.”

“The CD is dedicated to my late husband Michael Hayes,” said Chavous, during a phone interview from her Delco home. “He died of cancer in 2014.

“We had a tour in Paris in 2019 and two trips to Puerto Rico. The Puerto Rico shows were tributes to Aretha Franklin and Tina Turner. One of them raised $3,000 for emergency relief in San Juan. Then, the pandemic hit, and everything shut down.”

Chavous has been singing her whole life.

“I started performing and singing in church when I was really young,” said Chavous. “The, my mom and dad managed me. Eventually, I got calls from agents. So, I started putting bands together – Lisa Chavous and Friends.”

In 1989 she began performing with the group Chapter One in banquet halls such as The Twelve Caesars and the Riviera Ballroom. In 1997, Chavous won first prize while competing in the Temple University jazz station talent contest sponsored by B&V outreach.

In 1999, she began forming bands that performed for a variety of audiences. These ensembles eventually became known as Lisa Chavous and Friends.

“My first band was a jazz band,” said Chavous. “We played a lot of jazz clubs including the Blue Note in New York. I was on the jazz side for a while.

“We were really blessed with being able to book shows at country clubs in Delco. One night, the sax player couldn’t make the show. So, they sent another cat – and it was Byard Lancaster.”

The late, great Byard Lancaster was an alto saxophonist/flutist from Philadelphia who was part of the wave of free jazz inspired by John Coltrane. His music had many cultures in its DNA such as blues, reggae and Afrobeat and he lived in a variety of places including Chicago, France and Nigeria. But he always returned to jazz and his hometown.

After watching Chavous perform many years ago, Lancaster said, “I have recorded with Jonny Copeland, and have known Shemekia Copeland since she was a little girl, when I was on the road with her father. I’ve got to tell you the best female blues vocalist to come along since Shemekia is without a doubt, Lisa Chavous.”

This quote came from the musician who discovered Kevin Eubanks, the Roots, and Stanley Clarke.

“A couple years later, I ran into Byard at a blues festival in Media,” said Chavous. “He told me there was a blues band — the Philadelphia Blues Messengers –that needed a vocalist and asked if I wanted to go to Paris. That was in the early 2000s. He opened so many doors for me.

“For me, getting into the blues was a fluke. I was supposed to be going Motown and playing country clubs. Then, blues came in with Byard. I just became an icon in Philly as a blues singer. People wanted the blues, and it never stopped. I realized – this music is me.”

Chavous is frequently compared to Tina Turner, Etta James, Aretha Franklin, Ruth Brown, and Irma Thomas, who along with Billie Holiday and Mahalia Jackson are among her primary musical influences. She a been singing in church and performing in shows since she was five in a career that encompasses jazz, blues, soul, gospel and rock.

Chavous has performed with jazz greats Byard Lancaster, Odean Pope, Trudy Pitts, Pat Martino, Jimmy McGriff and Bootsie Barnes, and is regularly backed by former members of Patti LaBelle’s band, as well as by Don Evans, former guitarist for Billy Joel.

Chavous, who is a nurse, has also donated her talents at a variety of functions that benefit children’s organizations supporting research for multiple sclerosis and the anti-AIDS foundation.

Chavous’ forte is her great versatility in singing jazz, blues, and rhythm and blues, all with tons of soul that projects her sincere love and devotion to her music and that creates powerful audience attraction and response.

Chavous is close to releasing a new album.

“I’ve been back in the studio working on a new album,” said Chavous.

“I have some great music we’ve written over the last few years. We’ve been recording it at MorningStar Studio (Glenn Barratt’s highly acclaimed studio in East Norriton).

“I have a lot of shows coming up including Ashley’s in Glen Mills, Cigar Republic in Conshohocken, Riverside Yacht Club in Essington, La Cena Restaurant in Bensalem, the Sage Diner in Boothwyn and La Porta in Media and, of course, Jamey’s.

“For the shows at Jamey’s, we’ll do two. We’ll play some originals. We’ll also do blues standards – songs by Muddy Waters, KoKo Taylor and Litle Walter.”

Video link for Lisa Chavous – https://youtu.be/3N0iG_x7u44.

The show at Jamey’s on Thursday will start at 8 p.m.

Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door.

Jamey’s House of Music has evolved into one of the premier clubs at its level not only in the Philly area but also around the entire Mid-Atlantic region.

Around 20 years ago, Jamie Reilly and his wife Suyun ran a small, intimate and well-loved music venue in their house in Overbrook called Psalm Salon. It their first version of a “Live House.”

Live house (ライブハウス) is a small live music club concept which originated in Japan. The term is a Japanese coinage (wasei eigo) and is mainly used in China, Japan and South Korea.

It most frequently refers to smaller venues, which may double as restaurants or bars, especially featuring rock, jazz, blues, and folk music.

American live house is an East Asian concept which is tailored to the tastes of a discerning western audience. JHOM is a new incarnation of a venerable Philadelphia night spot – Psalm Salon.

Jamey’s House of Music is a multi-award winning, superbly crafted intimate 60-seat venue for live music set in a comfortable, air conditioned, world class listening room, with a taproom and full-service restaurant. JHOM boasts sound, lighting, video and musical equipment worth over a quarter million dollars.

JHOM serves a modestly priced, freshly prepared Asian-inspired American menu, sinful desserts, and fresh brewed coffees and espressos made with quintuple filtered water, and fine beers on tap from Conshohocken Brewing Company.

The real value of Jamey’s can be found in the music rather than the bank – or the kitchen. The new Thursday night series is another example of Reilly catering to the musical tastes of the venue’s fans.

“We had success with the Thursday jazz shows but we wanted to give our audiences more,” said Reilly. “The first Thursday of the month will be the Philadelphia Blues Society.”

Formed in 2023, the Philadelphia Blues Society exists to fulfill its mission by enabling live performance and helping to educate the community about the history and expression of a truly American artform.

The mission of the Philadelphia Blues Society is to present, promote and preserve the blues and in all its forms throughout the greater Philadelphia region and support local, regional and national talent, nurturing an appreciation of the blues in school and community settings.

“The second Thursday will be Dueling Pianos and Lisa Chavous will have her show every third Thursday,” said Reilly. “The fourth Thursday will be A.C. Steel and the Perpetrators. There will be a movie night in the five months when there is a fifth Thursday.”

This weekend’s shows at JHOM will be the Empty Belly Blues Band featuring Alabama Sam on June 17 and The Porkroll Project and Kane & Company on January 18.

Every Sunday, Jamey’s presents “SUNDAY BLUES BRUNCH & JAM” featuring the highly acclaimed blues group the Girke-Davis Project as the host band.

Brought together by fate while playing at Jamey’s House of Music, something clicked and their mutual respect for one another and deep abiding love for the blues bonded them into something greater than each of them alone – and thus was born, the Girke-Davis Project.

This supergroup committed to get together at Jamey’s to celebrate the vast repertoire of blues music – the African American art form that paved the way for jazz, rock n roll and even country music.

The band features Roger Girke, guitarist, singer and writer; John Colgan-Davis, harmonica and vocals; Jamey Reilly, bass; Glenn Bickel, piano and Hammond organ; and Paul Albrecht, drums.

Video link for the Girke-Davis Project — https://youtu.be/LMHzfrrkRCQ

The open mic jam runs from 1-3 p.m. The host band lays down a set from noon-1 p.m. to get things rolling and then supports guest jammers as needed. The always rocking “SUNDAY BLUES BRUNCH” rocks a Happy Hour from noon-1 p.m.

“We’re keeping the Sunday brunch the way it has been,” said Reilly. “Keeping it free and keeping it fun.”

Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center (226 North High Street, West Chester, www.uptownwestchester.org) will host “Junie B. Jones: The Musical” now through January 19.

Junie B. Jones, America’s favorite elementary school student, comes to life onstage in this adaptation of three books in Barbara Park’s popular book series of the same name.

Clad with purple glasses and all, Junie B., along with her classmates, parents, and teachers, sings and dances her way through the first grade, and while chronicling her adventures in her “top secret personal beeswax” journal, she learns the importance of facing obstacles head-on and turning bad situations into good ones.

“Junie B. Jones: The Musical,” though written as a piece of theatre for young audiences, is fun for the entire family and highlights the timeless themes of friendship, acceptance, and humility.

It’s Junie B.’s first day of first grade, and a lot of things have changed for her: Junie’s friend, Lucille, doesn’t want to be her best pal anymore and, on the bus, Junie B. makes friends with Herb, the new kid at school.

Also, Junie has trouble reading the blackboard and her teacher, Mr. Scary, thinks she may need glasses. Throw in a friendly cafeteria lady, a kickball tournament and a “Top-Secret Personal Beeswax Journal,” and first grade has never been more exciting.

Performances will be staged on January 18 at 1 p.m. and January 19 at 3 p.m.

Tickets are $20 (13 and over) and $15 (12 and under)

Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295, http://www.kennettflash.org) will present The Laugh & Run Show on January 17 at 7 p.m.

The Laugh & Run Show is all about bringing people together through laughter and running. The founder of this show, Tommy McClellan-Willard, is a U.S. athlete and stand-up comedian who’s been seen on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

This show features an “all paces welcome” group run before the show starting and ending at Kennett Flash followed directly by the show with Tommy and some up-and-coming comedians.

Tickets are $20.

On January 18, Kennett Flash will host “An Evening With Leslie Mendelson!”

Showtime is 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door.

The Colonial Theater (227 Bridge Street, Phoenixville, thecolonialtheatre.com/events) will host Ben Bailey on January 18.

Elkton Music Hall (107 North Street, Elkton, Maryland, www.elktonmusichall.com) will host The One Hit Wonderers on January 17 and Countdown to Ecstasy on January 18.