By the way,Volgadon, I don't agree with your definition that the Blues songs only express "pain and longing". For example, see this excerpt from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blues :

"Although the blues gained an association with misery and oppression, the blues could also be humorous and raunchy as well:

"Rebecca, Rebecca, get your big legs off of me,
Rebecca, Rebecca, get your big legs off of me,
It may be sending you baby, but it's worrying the hell out of me."
From Big Joe Turner's "Rebecca", a compilation of traditional blues lyrics

Hokum blues celebrated both comedic lyrical content and a boisterous, farcical performance style. Tampa Red's classic "Tight Like That" is a sly wordplay with the double meaning of being "tight" with someone coupled with a more salacious physical familiarity. Lyrical content of music became slightly simpler in post war-blues in which focus was often almost exclusively on singer's relationship woes or sexual worries".
-snip-

But, putting that aside, I'm interested in reading examples that you posted and others posts about "Blues But Not" music from other cultures.

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Also, Will Fry, with regard to your 30 Oct 08 - 07:49 AM comment, as I'm sure you're aware to quote a sentence from that article whose link I just gave}, "the Blues is a vocal and instrumental form of music". end quote Therefore, it seems to me that this thread could also feature examples of instrumental music.