Hi John.
I agree with your comments about music being played well.
I love 60s music, and love Cream and of course many others too, but my favourites are the Shadows.
Looking through You Tube at some of the musicians out there trying to emulate that sound gets me so frustrated. Whatever you choose to play, it should be done with 100% effort..esp if your gigging.

If your just jamming there's room for errors, but to answer another question you raised...yes it does most definitely keep you engaged. I'm approaching 65, and I've just got together with a guy aged 74 who sings and is learning guitar. he loves 60s music too, loves the Hollies. The love of music keeps you going John, and I love blues, esp Stormy Monday style blues, I love the whole spectrum of blues.

An interesting contemporary blues-rock style adopted by Walking Papers is hard riffs coated in a mild layer of grunge. Rival Sons bring a guitar sound reminiscent of garage rock. Buffalo Summer sound, in an original way, relatively modern despite their influences..... all these new bands. The traditional blues may be said and done, but what mutated out of that is always finding new ways to carry on. I'm sure there are lots of really obscure modern alternative blues acts as well... if there aren't, I'm starting one :p