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Artist
Jay Gaunt
10+ albums
bluesharmonicainstrumentalsoulsoul-blues
about
Jay Gaunt began playing blues harmonica just as he turned 12. Inspired by the same blues men who influenced his favorite rock and rollers, Jay began to play along with the music of the Blues Brothers movie. Jay went to see Dan Aykroyd when he was hosting Chick Willis & Dwight Edwards at the Opus Theater in New York (June 2006). Dan called Jay up to sit in on the encore. Soon after, Jay sat in with Sweet Georgia Brown at both the Lenox Lounge in Harlem and in Central Park. It was during these early performances that Jay realized how much he loved to play blues and that he wanted to study blues music and harmonica. Jay’s passion for the blues fuels him to listen to blues music, learn blues history and play blues harmonica – constantly! While Jay’s favorite music is the blues and he feels most comfortable playing it, he is not limited to just one genre. He is also interested in playing jazz, funk, and rock. Jay is influenced most by Chicago legends -- James Cotton, Little Walter, Big Walter Horton, Sonny Boy Williamson II, Junior Wells, George Harmonica Smith, and Howlin’ Wolf. He is also greatly influenced by modern harp players -- Jason Ricci, Jon Paris, Dennis Gruenling, Kim Wilson, Charlie Musselwhite, Paul Butterfield, Chris Michalek, William Clarke, Mark Hummel, Michael Peloquin and more. Jay met his first harmonica teacher Jon Paris when he sat in with him at Lucille’s Lounge at B.B. King’s Blues Club in Times Square in NYC. He began studying with Jon on bo
