Diana Krall @ PDA

Diana Krall can play anywhere she wants, and the fact that she keeps coming back to
Place des Arts... makes me as happy as a little girl! On Friday night... to end the month
of May on a delicious and soothing note I experienced Lady K in all her smoothness...
up close and very personal. I lucked-out and had front-row seats. I observed and was
mesmerized by her hand movement and ease in which she fingered those keys. Krall
filled the newly renovated hall to the balconies and beyond, providing many with a cozy
early summer soiree.
With a five-man band arranged in a line across the stage — bass, drums, guitars,
fiddle, and organ, including a full ensemble orchestra — Krall both defied and fulfilled
expectations that she would lean heavily on her brand new album, 'Wallflower', a return
to pop classics after her many years of jazz devotion. The album was coming, but first,
there was a Krall original called 'Just Couldn't Say Goodbye', a bit of swinging ragtime
that proved she's not out of the jazz club yet…and what a jazz club.
Across the front of the stage were set old-fashioned, shell illumination lights,
ensconced in vintage radio consoles, but the real mood was set by a casual array of
candles on the floor. Suspended above the stage were glowing, old-time, circular
microphones, and a screen backdrop kept up a rapid run of vintage visual images. Very
surreal!
Krall calmed things down with the quiet 'Just Like a Butterfly Caught in the Rain'
then, claiming to like songs about weather, did the light swing of 'Sunny Side of the
Street' and the sweet and soft 'Let it Rain'. With a big bash of the drums she and the
band sashayed into 'Temptation' by Tom Waits, and this often flavorful tune provided
a real chance for the band members to show their stuff.
It's a mark of Krall's supreme ability as a player and bandleader that she can hand the
stage over to her talented band members any time she wants, then, with a breath into
the microphone or a flick of her blond hair, take that stage right back and settle into
a masterful solo of her own. And just to show how she could own that stage, the band
melted into the wings and Krall did a few by herself, including 'Let's Face the Music and
Dance', 'East of the Sun, West of the Moon', and some marvelous jazz improvisation on
Joni Mitchell's 'A Case of You' and Fats Waller's 'I'm Gonna Sit Right Down' (and Write
Myself a Letter).
Back came the band to do some of the Wallflower album, starting with 'California
Dreamin', featuring varying tempos and Krall moving over to electric piano, then Jim
Croce's 'Operator' and Elton John's 'Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word'.
It was back to her jazz roots with Nat King Cole's 'Just You, Just Me' complete with
galvanizing solos from guitarist Anthony Wilson and violinist Stuart Duncan, then
'Indeed I Do'. By the time Krall did her own 'I'm a Little Mixed Up', the film on the backdrop
behind her of a belly dancer and several wildly leering men was so distracting that it
was hard to concentrate on the band. Diana Krall needs no juicing up from visuals. Just
let us see and hear the woman play.
After a 90 minute set, a cheering standing ovation brought Krall and her band back for
a stirring two more numbers... to feed the soul. Diana Krall can take her piano, her voice,
and now this crackerjack band through any music she wants. It was rock, pop, country,
folk, and lots of jazz in Montreal Friday night!

* From Where I Sit!
www.fromwhereisit.co
Place des Arts
May 29, 2015

Subject of Life

'Being a subject of life, there is no sky without storm, roads without accidents,
work without fatigue, and relationships without disappointments. Being a subject
of life, forcefully we are to find forgiveness, hope in the battles, and security
on the stage of fear and love in disagreement. Sometimes grinning is not only
enhancing the smile, but reflects the sadness of one's life; not only celebrate
the success, but learn lessons in failures. Not only be jubilant in applause, but
find joy in anonymity.
It has tardily recognized that it is a worthless living in life in spite of all
the challenges, misunderstandings and periods of crisis. Being a subject of life,
it is bound to be victim of the problems and becoming an author's own story.'

© Frank Borsellino™
© From Where I Sit™
www.fromwhereisit.co
writer/blogger/bon vivant

Ladies' Night @ Tapas24MTL

'When I eat with my friends, it is a moment of real pleasure, when I really enjoy
my life.' ~ Monica Bellucci

I had the pleasure, nee the privilege, of being invited to a sumptuous and exquisite
dinner at one of Old Montreal's trendiest 'restaurantes' surrounded by a bevy of beautiful
ladies.
Entering the restaurant I was taken aback by the crowds, the decor, and the crackling
ambiance. I spied the thirty-to forty-something crowd that consisted of many groups and
couples. 'Tapas, 24 Montréal' is modelled after the original in Spain owned by Barcelona's
highly regarded Chef Carles Abellan…the Montreal contingent includes two partners. Québécois
radio and TV personality Sébastien Benoit and restaurateur Jorge Da Silva of 'MTL Cuisine',
and star sommelier François Chartier was brought in to consult on the liquid part of the
menu...in-house chefs are Haissam Souki Tamayo as well as one who goes by the name of
Ildemar (who came to the table to say hello because he's friendly with one of the ladies),
this was an opportunity to discover their craft.
As it is always the case with tapas outside of Spain, the ingredients can rarely speak
for themselves, so sticking to items relying heavily on the ingredient is a bit like
expecting the sun to shine at night. However great the ingredient, it simply won't
reproduce the effect of its Iberian counterpart. Bombshell and I allowed our Hostess
to choose from the menu, which comes in a children's booklet-like format. We went through
sixteen or twenty plates of morsel-sized orgasmic explosions in our mouths, so I will
only name a few.

Our first wave of plates began with fat calamari rings, fried to golden perfection and
served with a saffron-enhanced dipping sauce. The delicate, pop-in-your-mouth cod
croquettes, enhanced with honey and lemon. What a perfect pairing with our 'Cantiga
Rioja' a delicious, fruity red wine. 'Bomba de Barceloneta' (potato croquette) is, of
course, not a big deal, but unless someone is devoid of any 'sense for nuances', the
appreciation of that croquette I was having had lots more to reveal: the technique
in keeping the croquette low in fat while maintaining the taste delicious and rich is
not a secret but few are delivering it this well, a fabulous croquette of the sort that
only a handful of the finest restaurants of Montreal can pull off. The accompanied aioli
and salsa brava simply perfect.
The next round included 'coco con tomato', porous coca bread rubbed with tomato and
drizzled with olive oil, and a trio of luscious charcuterie meats including Iberian
sausage, a pitch-perfect-spiced chorizo, and ribbons of nutty-tasting 'jamón', a.k.a.,
Iberian ham.
The pace of the service was perfectly timed, with meals that take longer to cook
taking the relevant time it needs to be served. As for the portions, it was in line
with the quantity of food that is usually served nowadays at most contemporary
restaurants of this sort. What we sampled, and there were many, is all I needed in
order to assess the cooking skills at 'Tapas24MTL', were items forcing the kitchen to
'focus on the substance': personal touch of the cooks, their sense of flavors, palate,
and the ability of extracting the most out of the least (maximum flavor out of simple
ingredients or from simple flavor combinations which is essentially the point of tapas).

I love tapas as it forces a good kitchen to extract a lot out of virtually very little,
which for me is what cooking should be all about. Coupled with the stellar ingredients
of the Mediterranean can turn into mouthfuls of bliss.

* From Where I Sit!
www.fromwhereisit.co
June 22, 2015

* Tapas, 24 Montréal
420 Rue Notre-Dame West (near McGill St.)
Old Montréal, H2Y 1V3
(514) 849-4424
www.tapas24.ca/

Movie Review - 'The Brave One' (2007)

'You may shoot me with your words, you may cut me with your eyes, and you
may kill me with your hatefulness, but still, like air, I'll rise!' ~ Maya Angelou

As I set out for my cinematic fix, I scroll through my PVR list until a title
talks to me. 'The Brave One' a 2007 film by Neil Jordan ('The Crying Game'
(1992), 'The Good Thief' (2002)... another gem) about the safest big city…
New York.
There are certain actresses that I admire, who time and time again, deliver
first-rate, top-notch performances…regardless of the role, the movie or the
quality of the writing. One that keeps making me smile is Jodie Foster, think
'Panic Room' (2002), need I say more. I saw her in a film some time ago, I
won't mention the film, but it was a minor part in a forgettable movie... but
she turned her bit part in the only thing I remember about that fiasco.

'The Brave One' exploits middle-class fears about urban crime and violence.
Radio host Erica Bain (Jodie Foster) keeps announcing 'The Safest Big City'
On her show as an intro to her daily segments about the inner city titled 'Street
Walker'. About her (Erica Bain) moves about the city and records sounds of
anything that tickles her fancy... and then narrates on her show while it plays
in the background.

With an A-list director at the helm and top-flight talent the plot engages when
good people make the mistake of crossing into a land where rules of civilized
behaviour do not apply. Erica has a wonderful life she loves and her fiancé,
Dr. David Zirmani (Naveen Andrews 'Lost' (2004–2010) which she adores. She's
even gone out to pick invitations for their nuptials because his mother loves
that. One evening, while walking the dog in Central Park, he distractedly throws
a ball into a darkened tunnel. Predictably, they subsequently venture forth into
this isolated structure to discover what has become of the animal. A group of
lowlifes step from the shadows, beat them to a pulp, rob the couple and leave
them for dead. She awakens from a coma twenty-one days later to a radically
changed world, and a dead fiancé. Also to her shock, discovers from the good
doctor's mother, they went ahead with the funeral, unaware if she would ever
awaken.

Unable to move past the tragedy, she can't seem to leave her apartment. The
woman, who hosted the talk show that extols the joys of New York City, now
fears that very place. Eventually, she convinces herself to purchase a firearm,
and begins prowling the city streets at night to track down the men she holds
responsible. The weapon is suppose to be for protection only, but one night in
a convenience store in a strange case of self-defense, she takes her first step
in her transformation into an urban hunter. This is the turning point, and why
her talent is undeniable.
The two-time Oscar winner for 'The Accused' (1988) & 'Silence of the Lambs'
(1991), exudes mesmerizing intensity in her transformation from frightened
victim to vigilante, and it's all there, as clear as day, on the screen. She
projected it so well that you understand at that precise moment, which was
short of an epiphany, what true talent is. That is a calibre above the fray,
and Jodie Foster is in that rarefied air.

Her dark pursuit of justice catches the public's attention, and the city is
riveted by her anonymous exploits. Soon, the tabloids are full of the escapades
of this local hero. Erica is wracked by guilt, but has enough presence of mind
to cover the case on her show and to befriend Detective Mercer (Terrence Howard
'Empire (2015– ), a good cop who believes in the justice system, who takes
charge of the investigation, vowing to catch someone he regards as no better
than the murdered criminals. He says, "The vigilante disgusts me." Being hot
on her trail, she must decide whether her quest for revenge is truly the right
path, or if she is becoming the very thing she is trying to stop.

As a general rule, I don't reveal endings, but in this case I'm making an
exception. At the conclusion of her righteous killing spree, Erica tracks down
the ringleader of the gang who killed her fiancé and Detective Mercer helps
her kill him, even taking a bullet himself in order to ensure she's never caught.

'The Brave One' may raise the question whether Erica's actions are right or
wrong, whether in some case the right thing to do is to get out of harm's way
or not put oneself in jeopardy, etc., but that everyone deserves what they get
is pretty much a foregone conclusion. By confronting Erica with uniformly
despicable thugs who consistently present a clear and present danger to Erica
and to others, 'The Brave One' makes their murders as gratifying as possible
to the viewer. Jodie Foster has suggested in interviews that the film is anti-
violence, and I wouldn't be surprised if Neil Jordan agrees as well.

* From Where I Sit!
www.fromwhereisit.co
May 15, 2015

Spring @ Liverpool House

Spring came early in Montreal, a rarity, and it was no more apparent than
along Notre Dame Street West. To celebrate my birthday Bombshell suggested
we indulge in food porn at 'Liverpool House'... the sister restaurant of the
famous 'Joe Beef'. Sister restaurant in name only because the food was, is
a stand-alone culinary experience.
As a young boy, my formative years were spent in a quiet, safe neighbourhood
with beautiful tree-lined streets and mom-and-pop corner stores. The main
street, in our quaint section of town, was right around the corner from where
we lived. This section of Notre Dame in Little Burgundy is evocative of that
neighborhood.

Marcel Proust once said, 'The door of memory is opened by the taste of
a Madeline cookie.'

Little Burgundy (La Petite-Bourgogne) is a neighbourhood in the southwest
borough of Montreal. Its approximate boundaries are Atwater Street to the
west, Saint-Antoine to the north, Guy Street to the east, and the Lachine
Canal to the south. The adjacent neighbourhoods are the borough of Ville-
Marie and downtown Montreal to the north and northeast, Griffintown to
the southeast, Pointe-Saint-Charles to the south, and Saint-Henri to the
west. The neighbourhood became famous for producing several talented
jazz musicians. During Prohibition and the later pre-Jean Drapeau years
as an 'open city,
Little Burgundy was home to many lively nightclubs featuring homegrown
and international performers; one of them was Rockhead's Paradise, owned
by Rufus Rockhead, after whom a street is named. Oscar Peterson and Oliver
Jones are the two best-known musicians who emerged from the bebop and
post-bop era.

'We come together in unity to play a grand symphony of cosmic consciousness,
in the divine meditation of our souls' manifestation as being ONE.' ~ Ange Maya

Liverpool House is split into a barroom, which is totally decked out in
Canadiana, and a laid-back dining room, with deer antlers, rowboat oars,
and great artwork on the walls. The woodwork and cream-coloured
wainscoting are painted a warm white. The rest is decorated with flowered
wallpaper, brass chandeliers, and leather banquettes, antique hutches and
squash displays beside the door. There is an eclectic mix of paintings —
over-sized modern canvases and tiny impressionistic. Listen carefully and
you can hear Bob Seger's 'Against the Wind'.

We sat at a corner banquette facing the dinner menu, which is a large
blackboard suspended over a row of tables. Looking around you would
never think or believe all that rhetoric concerning the dire economic condition
in Montreal. The place was in a constant flux… patrons waiting for the next
group to be seated. They must do three or four turnovers a night. Fréderic
(Fred) Morin (one of the owners) came over and sat with us... we had seen
each other since Globe’s 25th Anniversary Gala evening… and for what
seemed like a long enough time… we caught up and reminisced.

Our wine was a delicious Cabernet Sauvignon... Montepulciano Falesco,
Marciliano, Rosso Umbria. I am not a big fan of Italian wines but this one
was slightly robust and delightfully fruity on the palate. And the chorus of
dishes explodes…
We begin with a plate of succulent raw oysters... juicy and very meaty.
A dozen was not enough... but we wanted to fully enjoy the next courses.
Liverpool House has a rotating menu; it offers seasonal entrées inspired
by ingredients found in the market. For the second course...we had two foie
gras dishes. One, of course, was 'Foie gras poêlé' au pain croutés…sautéed
and very moist… with an added 'Joe Beef' combination of spices. The other
was ' torchon de foie gras or terrine' named for the vessel in which they
are cooked. The third appetizer, compliments of the kitchen, were roasted
Brussels sprouts with bacon, almonds and mustard. It was tangy, sugary
and crunchy... their originality and taste shined brighter than the rainbow,
and we could not satisfy ourselves enough, even though it seemed like we
had our fill, but the main dishes remained.
Bombshell had been fawning over their famous 'Lobster Pasta' for quite
some time, so immediately went for that. The lobster pieces were larger
than a pear… so soft and sweet. Every morsel was a meal. The pasta portion
was equally delicious, once again with their mélange of spices added. I,
being a Sea Bass aficionado, had the 'Wild Striped Chilean Sea Bass' on
top of a saffron risotto that was the stuff of dreams…. soft, moist and seared
to perfection.

The meal set the precedence for the fabulous dessert of almond cake
with a slight vanilla tinge… and a sparkle on top. There's a lot to like
about Liverpool House, but the question is, 'How does it differ from Joe
Beef?' I read somewhere that compared the two in this fashion, 'If Joe
Beef is macho Liverpool House is more feminine.' You sit among a gallery's
worth of fine art and soak up the buzzing candlelit atmosphere.

* From Where I Sit!
www.fromwhereisit.co
March 20, 2015

* Liverpool House ****
2501, Notre Dame St. W. @ Charlevoix
Little Burgundy, Montreal
(514) 313-6049
www.joebeef.com

'The Newsroom'

Aaron Sorkin's HBO series, 'The Newsroom' (2012–2014), had a pivotal and dramatic episode last Sunday... our beloved Charlie Skinner (Sam Waterston) suffered a fatal heart attack...as Will McAvoy (Jeff Daniels) finally gets released following 54 days of incarceration (if you don't know why skip this - not a show you watch) is greeted by his wife MacKenzie (Emily Mortimer) and told of his death. Amazing that in the last couple of Sundays important and founding members of this ensemble have met their demise.
I have read many negative reviews of late about Aaron Sorkin and his views of life in America. So I wish to show you what a keen mind and exquisite writer he is. Movie audiences get very little dialogue this snappy; they get very little dialogue at all. In movies we are starved for wit, for articulate anger, for extravagant hyperbole—all of which flows like pebbles in a stream...with turbulence of course. The ruling gods of movie screenwriting, at least in American movies, are terseness, elision, functional macho, and heartfelt, fumbled semi-articulateness.
Some of the very young micro-budget filmmakers, trying for that old Cassavetes magic achieve a sludgy moodiness with minimal dialogue, or with improvisation—scenes that can be evocative and touching. But the young filmmakers wouldn't dream of wit or rhetoric, especially at par with Mr. Sorkin. It would seem fake to them. Thank heavens the swelling, angry, sarcastic, one-upping talk in 'The Newsroom' is unafraid of embarrassing anyone.
Aaron Sorkin writes a highly stylized dialogue which depends on certain conventions that he has made his own. First, there is the convention of perfect articulacy: everyone says exactly what he means, and without hesitation. Second, Sorkin unabashedly reveres high intelligence. Sorkin celebrates the guy who cuts through the crap, gets to the point, sees the patterns and implications buried within some matter. A lot of his writing consists of people questioning each other—sifting, correcting, overturning—as part of a furious drive toward a conclusion. He writes interrogation scenes without pedantry, in a spirit of high gaiety—getting to the truth of something is an adventure.
He has also developed a dramatically entertaining idea of how dynamic groups work together. In 'The West Wing' (1999–2006) the product was policy; in 'The Social Network' (2010) it was an entrepreneurial idea. Here, it's a good news show. Life may not work this way in the real world, but Sorkin's complaint about America is that intelligence is in a semi-apologetic retreat, while emotionalism and stupidity are on the rise—in public policy and in the media. He's setting up an ideal. He is an ethical writer—a moralist, if you like. He's neither ironic nor self-deprecating; he dislikes that part of the derisive culture which undercuts, as a ritual form of defence, any kind of seriousness. He's a very witty entertainer who believes that there's a social value in truth. I don't think this belief should be confused, as it has been recently, with self-righteousness. Here is a dazzling panoply to celebrate that and the best of Charlie Skinner.

© Frank Borsellino™
* From Where I Sit!
www.fromwhereisit.co
December 10, 2014

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRhW21Im7p0

Fiorante's Feast @ Cavalli

'Take the time today to tell your friends the difference they have made
in your life.' ~ Catherine Pulsifer

Intended... unintended... whatever the intention, the result was a phenomenal
achievement in perseverance. Primarily, it had been 10 years to the month that
we had our 25th Reunion @ Le Challenger... and for the first time in a long
time, the group was made up solely of graduates, with the exception of one.

I'm here to laud the excellence that was 'Fiorante's Feast' @ Cavalli...
and as Mr. Cavalli (Gianni Caruso) himself proclaimed, of which I concur,
no one else but Patrick (Pat Fiorante) could have pulled that off in such
a spectacular fashion. The 'coup de grace' was seeing Betty Castiglione
walk through the door and greet the table. Bravo Patrick...Memorable!

First... A special mention to the guests of honor… Dina Merulla & Mary
Perrotta. We are all happy, overjoyed and elated that you were at the table
to talk, laugh, indulge in such a culinary extravaganza and enjoy the
rapport with us all. You both looked happy, healthy and in great humor.

Secondly... Gianni's generosity shows no bounds, and on this particular
occasion he surpassed any sense of normalcy ... I was floored! He really,
really, really likes us! He had as much fun exchanging, eating and drinking
as any of us, and most importantly, he was relaxed. There was definitely
a sense of deja-vu! All that was missing was Santo Ciavirella & Gino Famularo.

The food was remarkable and sublime, as it is always. Frank Gioffre is
an exceptional chef…I adore that man! Every dish was abundantly mouth-
watering and exquisitely prepared. They say the measure of a great restaurant
is the consistency of its dishes. Every dish was consistent... but better
because of the company.

There's a French terminology, 'radotte' meaning to tell a story repeatedly.
So at the risk of being 'radotté', on Thursday night, we surpassed every one's
expectations. I say 'we', because the success of these shindigs is a collective
endeavor of the whole and not of its parts. What started quietly enough, and
with little fanfare, in no time, spawned into quite an uproarious and a very
entertaining evening of 'Sex, drugs and rock-and-roll'. We are definitely
children of the seventies! Some of us louder than others! (I sit guilty as
charged!)

'Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving
safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside
in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly
proclaiming 'Wow! What a Ride!' ~ Hunter S. Thompson

The following are observations I was able to retain in the onslaught of
tremendous boisterous exuberance... on my part as well, as the group as
a whole. We talked like it was routine as though no time had elapsed. It
had been a long time for me... and it felt comfortable seeing Jack Latino
ribbing Mamie aka Bubbles (Isabelle Mazzone). I had forgotten what that
camaraderie was like. We, eleven men and women, made the dinner in the
pantheon of life's journey one of those unforgettable moments. I observed
splinters of factions, huddled together, in delight of the evening, reminiscent
of school clicks. As is the case with 'group diners', the dynamics and
especially the landscape is different compared to a regular 'dinner party'.
I love change but sometimes I also enjoy continuity and familiarity... and
to feel a certain level of comfort. Add to that a sparkle of freshness in the
guise of a new Muse... Silvana Sanchez, and the ensemble is evolving. I'm a big
proponent of evolution. It's similar to an ever-changing, living organism,
that grows as it absorbs particles it picks up along its journey... such as
J.P. Giacomini e la Nonna (Lia Puma).

'I made up my mind not to care so much about the destination, and enjoy
the journey.' ~ David Archuleta

Later, Gianni and myself, over a final 'bicchiere di vino', compared notes
and both concluded that the original diners are a special breed of graduates...
it was also observed by my Muse, along with Patrick's wife at the next table.
Such a group, as we are, is a rarity, and should be nourished and preserved,
to the best of our ability. I have tried to be the enabler of such a noble task,
but it took Patrick to take us over that hilltop.

'Love is when you take away the feeling, the passion, the romance and you
find out you still care for that person.' ~ © Frank Borsellino™

* From Where I Sit!
www.fromwhereisit.co
November 27, 2014