With my wife in the hospital again and a full house of sick kids (or should that be called a “royal flush”?), I’ve been inundated with domestic chores. This explains my scandalously long hiatus, which will end tomorrow — I promise.

Mientras tanto, and apropos of nothing, I’ve decided to share a few performance clips that have offered me some solace today, while cleaning and folding clothes and linens onto which my afflicted offspring have been casting their gorge. In such circumstances, I had to find something (of a non-psychotropic nature, I hasten to specify) to elevate my mood.

The first offering is from the Trey Anastasio Band, captured in the middle of a pointless but delicious ten-minute jam:

The next helping is from the immortal Jeff Beck at this year’s Crossroads Festival in Chicago. Here he is turning The Beatles’ “A Day in the Life” inside-out. Of particular note is Mr. Beck’s astonishingly gifted 21-year-old bass player, Tal Wakenfield. Her skills aren’t displayed to best advantage on this track; the track that allows her some room to shine, “‘Cause We’ve Ended as Lovers,” can be seen here.

A seasonal note is struck by Brian Setzer’s Orchestra in this Hep-Cat version of “Jingle Bells.” Honestly, playing in the Setzer Orchestra must be the coolest gig imaginable.

Hitting cleanup is the heroic Jimmy Vaughan, an authentic American Blues virtuoso and genuine patriot, singing “Down With Big Brother.” Too often introduced as the brother of the late Stevie Ray, Jimmy V. is a titan in his own right who should be referred to as “Stevie Ray’s guitar teacher.”

Remember: De gustabis, non disputandum est…

… and I’ll be back to regular blogging tomorrow.

Dum spiro, pugno!