Khadijah Renee is a Jazz Songstress in the vein of the Great Ladies of Jazz. Her resonant tones remind you of the ladies who paved their way through the male dominated syncopated instrumental ingenious sounds of Be-Bop and Classical Jazz from as early as the 1950′s. If you close your eyes while listening to her, you may hear reminiscent echoes of Sarah, Ella, Billie, Nancy, Dinah and Gloria.

Khadijah is a contralto whose range is deep and sweet at the same time. She has been performing Jazz since the late 80′s in and around the Tri-State area. Khadijah is always accompanied by the best musicians the area has to offer. She has been recorded live at the East Coast Jazz Festival now called the Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival in Maryland and heard on WRTI 90.1 Jazz Radio.

https://www.khadijahrenee.com/

Craig Bickhardt is a man who knows a thing or two about love. He is one of the most widely respected songwriters between Philly and Nashville, with his songs recorded by nearly everyone who is anyone in the upper spheres of country music, a jam packed career, and a beautiful and loving family at home. Craig has made his annual Valentine's concert at Jamey's a tradition for lovers young and old, transfixing them with his gorgeous voice and flawless guitar work while embarking on a musical journey, special to this day, celebrating the beauty of love and life.

When Craig Bickhardt steps onto a concert stage, he comes equipped with his trusty acoustic guitar. A side musician or two will frequently join him. He’s also accompanied by something invisible, yet ever-present: the stories of a lifetime, vividly translated into words and melody. From the boisterous club scene of Philadelphia to the country-rock milieu of Los Angeles to the picking parlors of Nashville, Craig has immersed himself in the sights and sounds of American music. His music reflects a life lived as a rock band lead singer, a solo troubadour, a dedicated songwriter, a husband and father. Dreams, heartaches and hard-earned lessons have fed his creativity. There is no other way he could’ve written the eloquent, often bittersweet songs that have become his trademark.

“I start a lot of songs because I feel conflicted,” he explains. “I may begin from a point of darkness, but I usually end up writing towards the light because, for me, hope is the thing worth singing about. The characters in the stories I sing aren’t heroic; they’re very ordinary. But they’re reaching for something beyond themselves, and I find nobility in that.”

Craig is a singer/songwriter of the old school – you can hear echoes of such ‘60s folk revival artists as Tom Rush, Gordon Lightfoot and Eric Andersen in his work. Added to this is the melodic sophistication of a Jimmy Webb or a Paul Simon, as well as a spare but telling lyric approach. “I admire songwriters like Woody Guthrie and poets like Robert Frost because they created functional art,” he says. “Too much music today is just for the singer, not for Everyman. I think of my work as a ‘Please Touch’ museum – I want my songs to be sung until they’re worn out.”

Also crucial to Craig’s art is his virtuosic guitar work, interweaving folk, blues, country and ragtime influences into a unique whole: “The guitar isn’t just an accompanying instrument for me – sometimes it’s the front man and my voice is the accompanist.”

Craig came to music as something of a family inheritance. His father Harry worked at WIP radio in Philadelphia and moonlighted as a big band musician. As a youngster, Craig absorbed everything from Johnny Cash and Marty Robbins to Stan Kenton and Duke Ellington. At 14, Craig found an old guitar in the family attic and taught himself to play. Soon he was writing songs and performing at venues like Philadelphia’s famed Main Point.

The Philly club scene shaped his emerging musical style. “I was lucky to grow up in a town that was a melting pot for musicians,” Craig says. “I got to hear lots of RnB as well as the great folk performers of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. It taught me that nothing moves people like a great song sung with some passion.”

By the mid-‘70s, Craig was co-lead singer/guitarist with Wire and Wood, an eclectic country-rock quintet that won a fervent East Coast following. The group opened for the likes of Bruce Springsteen and Stephen Stills before relocating to L.A. in search of a record deal. Craig and his compadres succeeded in attracting the interest of Bob Dylan’s former manager Albert Grossman, who signed them to his Bearsville/October Records label. Unfortunately, Wire and Wood’s album was never completed and the group called it quits soon after.

Craig went through another life-changing ordeal while living in L.A. One night, he awoke to find that the house he shared with his band mates was on fire. He barely managed to escape before the place collapsed in flames – and came away with a revelation: “At that moment, everything in the world felt luminous again, like it did when I was young. That experience made me realize that my happiness didn’t depend on possessions or status. I suddenly felt free and very grateful to be alive.”

This brush with mortality also re-motivated him as a musician. After Wire and Wood dissolved, Craig secured an assignment to write and sing songs for Tender Mercies, a country music-themed film starring Robert Duvall. This led to a lengthy residency in Nashville, where he saw his songs recorded by such legends as Ray Charles, B.B. King, Johnny Cash, the Judds, Tony Rice and Alison Krauss.

All the while, Craig continued playing his music live at the Bluebird Café and other clubs in the Nashville area. The call to the stage grew stronger after he released his first solo album, Easy Fires, in 2001. Five years later, he returned to his Pennsylvania roots and fully came into his own as a solo performer. By the end of the decade, Craig had won a new legion of fans on the East Coast and beyond through opening gigs for the likes of Judy Collins, Kathy Mattea and Billy Joe Shaver and club dates on his own.

A Craig Bickhardt live set is a mix of absurd anecdotes and personal confessions, accompanying a well-stocked bag of original tunes and the occasional choice cover. His decades in music have given his performances the depth of experience – his love songs seem sweeter and more poignant, his story-song narratives more true-to-life than they could have in the past.

“I think people come to my shows to be reminded that there’s something profound in the small stuff we experience every day,” he says. “My goal is to get an audience to look deeper at the things we all take for granted.”

Craig Bickhardt travels light to his gigs – but he brings a great deal to the stage. He combines a seasoned troubadour’s easy command of his art with a beginner’s passion to win over his next audience and top his next song. The stories of his lifetime are simply too good not to share.

Joining Craig will be long-time friends Tommy Geddes on drums and percussion, and Larry Ahearn who will open the program.

http://www.craigbickhardt.com/

Blues lovers and players have made Jamey's their home away from home, and know that this is the best place to come for some really good and inexpensive eats, beer on tap from Conshohocken Brewing Company, fresh ground coffee and espresso, great music, and friendly people. The vibe is home-like and cool, and the sound is out of this world. Jamey's provides a full professional grade backline, so players only need to bring their instrument or personal microphone to jump up on stage and jam. Plus, we are the home of the "Jammie-Jam" which means you can come as you are in your Sunday morning PJ's. Just roll out of bed and right on over to Jamey's!

The open mic jam runs from 1 pm to 3 pm, and the host band lays down a set from noon to 1 pm to get things rolling and then supports guest jammers as needed. The always rocking SUNDAY BLUES BRUNCH rocks a a HAPPY HOUR from noon to 1pm. Featuring two bucks off draft beers and hard ciders, and a dollar off wines! The open mic runs from 1 to 3pm, and admission is 100% free! Our tasty and immensely popular brunch menu is available the whole time to make your tummy as happy as your ears with freshly prepared eats. It sure doesn't get better than this!

The Host bands are the well-known and loved Philly Blues Kings, comprised of Bluesman Dave Reiter on guitar, keys and vocals, Bill Marconi on drums and vocals, Rob Hamilton on harp and vocals and Jamey Reilly on bass, usually on the 1st, 3rd, 4th and 5th Sundays and the all-star superband, the Girke-Davis Project, featuring international artist Roger Girke on guitar and vocals, Dukes of Destiny front man, John Colgan-Davis on vocals and harmonica, Hammond organ ace Glenn Bickel, First call drummer extraordinaire, Fred Berman, and Jamey Reilly on bass, generally on the 2nd Sundays.

Blues lovers new and old can come to play, eat, drink, chat and enjoy a day soaked in the blues. Many guests also like to host gatherings or parties during the brunch, as there are tables and chairs for dining, and comfortable seats to listen to the music - and it does not cost them a thing to meet up there! Plus, it is wheelchair accessible, and has plenty of free local parking. Being right in the center of downtown Lansdowne, next to the train station, there is abundant public transportation as well.

Check out the mouth watering brunch menu on our menu page. We have instituted a $5 food or drink minimum per person to help keep the lights on.

No reservations are needed. Just load up some friends and head on down!

The Thursday night open-mic jams at Jamey's are simply the best, hands down!

JAZZ AT JAMEY'S every second and fourth Thursday, and ANYTHING GOES every first, third and fifth Thursdays - starting with great HAPPY HOUR DISCOUNTS ON ALL FOOD AND DRINK at 6pm, and on-stage fun kicking off at 7pm until 10pm.

Jamey's has been called the best place on the planet for live music, good food and drink, and we could not agree more! With a full pro backline, incredible sound and lights plus an optional backing band provided by the renowned DAVE REITER TRIO, musicians only need to bring their instruments, fans, friends and family to shine like a superstar.

Our jams have become a popular destination for groups to join up for celebrations, birthdays or meetings too!

ADMISSION IS ALWAYS FREE and there is plenty of free local parking, plus we are handicap accessible.

Come on out and see why everyone raves about Jamey's - the best listening room on the planet!

Music inspires in many ways, primarily through sound - but also visually through the medium of the visual arts.

In order to honor the fullness of music's impact on our lives, we have added gallery space at our venue to display the artistic creations of those who devote themselves to music through painting and photography.

The exhibits not only extend the palette of the artists, who in most cases are also musicians, but allow our guests at our musical events to experience a fuller sensory impression of the all encompassing beauty inspired by music during our normal hours from Thursdays through Sundays.

The Little Gallery mounts rolling monthly non-exclusive exhibitions of anywhere from 6 to 40 works and hosts an opening night for the artist at the earliest Thursday Jazz At Jamey's night from 6 to 8pm, featuring live jazz by the Dave Reiter Trio and guest musicians from 8 to 10pm. There is no charge for admission. Our kitchen is open with a full dinner menu selection, and our Conshohocken Brewing Co bar is open as well, with happy hour food and drink discounts from 6 to 7pm. Artists are encouraged to put out press releases, advertise on social media and send invitations to patrons, art writers, bloggers and critics, and the mainstream press as well as the general public. JHOM will feature selections from each show during the month on our website at no charge.

Potential exbibiting artists are pleased to note that the Little Gallery at JHOM only takes a 30% commission on sales. Submissions may be made by email to jamey@jameyshouseofmusic and include the number of pieces and sizes, exhibition title, type of media included, sample images, and artist bio including past shows. Submitted pieces must be no more than 60 lbs for large examples, framed, and have picture wire mounting, attribution wall cards which we affix with removable foam tape, and an artist bio with headshot and description of the exhbit dry mounted on foamcore and a full manifest with pricing. Artists are invited to assist during hanging. JHOM will settle all sales at the conclusion of the exhibit.

STAMP ART BY SANDRA MARGOLIES - February Exhibitor

For the past ten years, Sandra has been “playing” with postage stamps. What started as a one-time project has blossomed into a passion (or obsession, depending on who you ask). Sandra has created stamp art of animals, airplanes, automobiles, sports themes, just to name a few. This exhibit highlights her line of music themed art.

In all her art, each mat is hand cut, and the stamps are individually chosen and researched to complement the themes. She is always open to donations of old stamp collections. Her philosophy is that stamps are priceless works of art.

To see more photos, feel free to email her at ohwell61@gmail.com or text 215-410-6157. Sorry, she’s not on Facebook, she would rather spend more time with stamps.

The price for each piece of framed stamp art is $149 with the exception of the “BABY GRAND”.

Drums - “The Beat Goes On” Sonny & Cher - 10 x 8

Gramophone - Best Song Award Goes To ……… - 11 x 14

Guitar - Rhythm and Blues - 8 x 20

Music Notes - Jamey’s House of Music - 17 x 7

Peace - “Give Peace A Chance” John Lennon and Plastic Ono Band - 11 x 11

Piano - “Piano Man” Billy Joel - 10 x 8

Piano Keys - 1930’s Wm. Knabe Baby Grand

Record Player - “Big Ten Inch Record” Bull Moose Jackson - 12 x 12

Saxophone - “Yakety Sax” Boots Randolph - 11 x 13

Trumpet - “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” The Andrews Sisters - 20 x 8

Sandra's opening reception will be held on Sunday, February 11 from noon to 3pm during the free admission Sunday Blues Brunch and Jam, where her muscian husband, Mark, will be onstage playing and singing.