Recommended BLUES recordings


I am looking for any CD suggestions that have to do mainly with INSTRAMENTAL BLUES. However, I appreciate all of your suggestions.
kgb540
The only consistent way to listen to blues in instrumental form that I can think of is 'Jazz-blues.' A few titles that spring to mind are John Coltrane 'Plays the Blues' (Atlantic), Wynton Marsalis 'The Majesty of the Blues' (Columbia) and Lionel Hampton 'Just Blues' (not sure of the last title or label). There is a LOT of blues-influenced Jazz to be found. True "Blues" (sorry, couldn't resist the pun) IS vocal-based. That's why they call it "singing the blues" :-(
For purely instrumental blues,you have to have Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue" on Columbia. There are also some re-issue versions as well. William Clarke's "Blowin' Like Hell" on the Alligator label and Roy Gaines "I Got the T-Bone Walker Blues" on Groove Note are also enjoyable. The Muddy Waters mentioned above is excellent. Also,just popped into my head- Sonny Boy Williamson's "Keep it to Ourselves" and the Don Euell Quartet "Yellow Dog Blues" . You could probably order all this stuff from Acoustic Sounds in Kansas at 1-800-716-3553. Enjoy! Nothing's better than good Blues!
For high NRG Chicago blues; Buddy Guy's "Damn Right I've Got the Blues" is great with lots of guitar fire power-- his version of "Mustang Sally" is killer, and BG is a living legend. For a softer sound, but still "Chicago", try Otis Rush's "Lost in the Blues". I also really like Koko Taylor's music, but it's much more "vocal" than instrumental. Happy Listenening. Craig.
With due respect to El34, Miles Davis's album "Kind of Blue" has no blues on it. It may FEEL bluesy, but blues is actually a vocal form characterized by an "aab" rhyming scheme. The primary form used on this album, which made it unique at the time it was recorded, was the use of the modal form (groupings of 3-5 note chords using several different scales, such as Dorian, Corinthian, etc.) Bill Evans, the featured pianist, was experimenting with modal forms for jazz improvisation. I am not familiar with any purely instrumental blues recordings, although recordings of early blues artists tend to be more instrumental than contemporary recordings. Big Bill Broonzy, Mississippi John Hurt, and Brownie McGhee are good examples of delta-style blues guitarists. If you want to check out some recent artists that feature a fair amount of instrumental work, you might like the album recorded by Drink Small for the Mapleshade Recordings label; Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters album "Ballads and Blues"; and some of Stevie Ray Vaughn's work. One other idea: look into the recordings done for the Folkways label in the 1930's and 40's. They are available from the Smithsonian Institution, and are fabulous treasure trove of authentic blues and folk music.