Interview with Bluesman Granvil Poynter. An interview by email in writing.

Dear readers, get to know more about our US/EU Jazz – Blues Festivals and the activities of our US/EU Jazz – Blues Association in the capitals of Europe, we will soon publish program for 2024, enjoy in the July – August – Brussels, Berlin, Prague, Warsaw, Sofia, new addreses this year, also in Amsterdam, Budapest.

JazzBluesNews.com: – First, where you grew up, and what got you interested in music. How exactly did your adventure take off? When did you realize that this was a passion you could make a living out of?

Granvil Poynter: – I grew up in Arkansas. My dad played a little guitar, and my uncle Charles Poynter was an outstanding country guitar player influenced by Hank Garland, The Ventures and Chet Atkins. So, I come from a musical family. But I didn’t really take off as a blues guitarist until I moved to Texas and started actually playing with blues bands.

OUR US/EU Jazz and Blues Festivals 2024

JBN: – How has your sound evolved over time? What have you been doing to find and develop your own sound?

GP: – My sound developed after years of listening to and picking up styles of playing by musicians I admire like Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, The Vaughan Brothers, and John Lee Hooker. After trying to sound like your heroes, one day you just sound like YOU! I am enjoying how I play now and feel like I am finally reaching the sound I aspired to attain. Before this time I was not satisfied with my sound really. But guitar players always want to sound better lol. I still work on playing a strong rhythm because that’s an important part of the song, adding lead has always come naturally to me.

OUR US/EU Jazz and Blues Festivals 2023

JBN: – What routine practices or exercises have you developed to maintain and improve your current musical proficiency, in terms of both rhythm and harmony?

GP: – I try to practice songs I want to learn or originals I’m working on a little each day, that way I keep my chops up!

JBN: – Have you changed through the years? Any charges or overall evolution? And if so why?

GP: – I think my singing has gotten a lot better and my tone on the guitar is in a good place right now. The more you challenge and stretch yourself to do a thing the better you get at it!

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JBN: – In your opinion, what’s the balance in music between intellect and soul?

GP: – Music makes everything better, I think people feel it in their soul and it imbues a person’s intellect in profound ways. Music has the ability to create balance and beauty in our minds and souls.

JBN: – There’s a two-way relationship between audience and artist; are you okay with delivering people the emotion they long for?

GP: – Absolutely! The energy between the performer and the audience is what makes music amazing and performing so personally gratifying. I feel music rejuvenates and energizes both the listening audience and the performer by creating a link between the two that makes everyone feel connected in a positive way.

JBN: – How can we get young people interested in jazz when most of standard tunes are half a century old?

GP: – I think people will discover good music over and over again, whether jazz or the blues or all the great music created in the world.. it is important that those in the know spread their music knowledge by sharing the music they enjoy with others, especially our younger folks, at every opportunity.

JBN: – John Coltrane once said that music was his spirit. How do you perceive the spirit and the meaning of life?

GP: – I get that! Music is very much a part of my soul and I can’t imagine life without it!

JBN: – If you could change one single thing in the musical world and that would become reality, what would that be?

GP: – I would change the current systems so songwriters and musicians would be fairly compensated for all the effort, time and love that goes into creative work. Wouldn’t it be great if streaming services and other such entities could recognize and fairly compensate artists and songwriters?

JBN: – Whom do you find yourself listening to these days?

GP: – Muddy Waters, Van Wilks, old country music .The young guy Kingfish has a great sound! I listen to blues a lot but I enjoy all kinds of music as I am always interested in the creativity of others.

OUR US/EU Jazz and Blues Association 2023

JBN: – Let’s take a trip with a time machine: where and why would you really want to go?

GP: – The Rome Inn in Austin when the Fabulous Thunderbirds were playing. The band and the scene by all accounts was something to experience, a very cool time in music history.

JBN: – Do You like our questions? So far, it’s been me asking you questions, now may I have a question from yourself…

GP: – I like the questions, they are well considered… What was the inception for and how long has JazzBluesNews.com been in existence?

JBN: – The website and the US/EU Jazz – Blues association have been in existence for 11 years. It was created to spread the wonderful music of Jazz and Blues, introduce musicians and new albums, but unfortunately there are too many lousy, mediocre or bad musicians who are not even worth introducing, there are too many bums like you․ Such people usually despise letters, the poor people think that we owe them, but it is not so, we organize big festivals in 15 capitals of Europe and we have thousands of musicians who have intelligence, soul and mind, they appreciate what the other person has done. the work.

By editorial։ Since its inception in 2012, JazzBluesNews.com has become the leading Jazz and Blues platform in Europe, United States, Asia, Latin America, Australia, Nordic countries, Afro – Eurasia.

Interview by Emmanuel Bolton