NATCHEZ &8212; Anytime is a good time to listen to the blues, and especially when the music is by one of the most popular musicians ever to play at the Natchez Bluff Blues Fest.

Alvin Youngblood Hart and his Muscle Theory will perform from 8 to 11 p.m. today at Ramada Inn Hilltop, bringing back to Natchez the same style that won raves from fans at the 2005 blues fest.

&8220;Everyone said he was the best,&8221; Glatzer said. That superlative went to Hart despite some big names also at the fest last year.

Glatzer expected to have Hart return for the 2006 fest, scheduled for April 21 through 23 at the Rosalie Bicentennial Garden, but a European tour that includes those dates in April makes it impossible for Hart to come to the Natchez fest.

&8220;But he wanted to come to Natchez. He really wanted to play here,&8221; Glatzer said.

Wanting to provide good music for a patrons party, he invited Hart to come for that occasion and decided to have the second performance for the general public.

&8220;This is a major band and a wonderful way to get started,&8221; said Glatzer, who founded the festival 10 years ago.

&8220;This is a way to thank all the people who help us and it&8217;s a great way to bring in some extra music to promote the blues festival,&8221; he said.

The 2006 festival will be a tribute to the great Raful Neal, whose musician son Kenny will perform with at least eight other members of the family.

&8220;Raful Neal quite literally is the father of Louisiana blues,&8221; Glatzer said. &8220;He had 11 children, all blues musicians.&8221;

Raful Neal died two years ago of cancer.

&8220;He played with just about everybody who came out of Louisiana and Southwest Mississippi,&8221; Glatzer said. &8220;He was important to us because when we got the blues fest started, he came and played for us about five years and was willing to take anything we could pay him. And he always brought some members of his family with him.&8221;

His presence at the festival and his continuous support was a big boost, Glatzer said. &8220;He promoted this festival and gave us many of the artists we needed to make Natchez a well-known national event.

&8220;I don&8217;t believe our fest would enjoy the reputation for excellence it has without what he brought to us.&8221;

The fest has the attention of the Mississippi governor and the Mississippi Development Authority. New funding from the MDA is encouraging, Glatzer said.

And Amtrak has stepped up its support to become a major sponsor of the fest.