Over the years there have been lots of blues recordings that have been released and then forgotten. Some of them may have been eminently forgettable and so have been lost for all time without any harm being done. On the other hand there are other recordings and sides from the sixties when the blues was starting to head towards obscurity that would be a shame to lose just because of who was playing on them.
Quite a few labels have been making an effort to track down some of these old tapes and digitally re-master them for a whole new generation to hear and enjoy and to ensure their place in posterity. One of the labels that has done a fine job with this type of work has been the Belgian company Music Avenue. Not only have they preserved the music of some fine players that otherwise might have been lost, they have unearthed some rare concert tapes and made interesting packages out of two or three separate recordings.
The latest effort along those lines is called simply Chicago Blues Festival and features performances from concerts three years apart. The first ten tracks are a recording made from the 1964 festival featuring Buddy Guy and Junior Wells. The second set that's been preserved was the 1967 gig with Otis Rush playing with Little Walter.
Buddy Guy on guitar and vocals and Junior Wells on harmonica and vocals were a regular pairing, having toured and recorded together for a couple of years before this performance and sporadically afterwards until Junior's death. In 1964 they were both solidly into their solo careers after having done their requisite years as members of other people's bands. Junior had been harpist with Muddy Waters (ironically Little Walter's replacement when he left the band) while Buddy had been earning his chops as a studio player with the Chess record label.
The first four songs on this disc feature Buddy on his own singing and playing such classic pieces as "Blue Monday" and "Everyday I Get The Blues". Although the sound quality isn't the best – the vocals are occasionally muddy or too dominant at other times – you're left with no doubt as to why Eric Clapton calls him his favourite blues guitar player.
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