Restaurant Review - The Sportsman, Seasalter

The Sportsman, Faversham Road, Seasalter, Whitstable, Kent, CT5 4BP

Food **** / Service **** / Ambience *** (around £45 per head including wine)

The Sportsman is a gem of a restaurant in a town of crashing waves, stilted sea huts and passers through.

I don’t live anywhere near Kent. I reside north of London (the centre of the universe of course). Therefore the notion of “going for lunch” to this particular restaurant involved a good four and a half hour round trip including half hour in the scenic Dartford Tunnel car park.

Encouraged by my ever-adventurous employer, I was told The Sportsman was one of the best places she’d ever eaten. For someone as widely respected as she is, the offer to visit simply couldn’t be turned down.

The Sportsman is an average sized housing estate looking building on the coast road. Sea-shanty style huts, holiday rents and caravan parks line the narrow lanes leading to the restaurant, indicating the seasonal nature of life in these parts. The sun was breaking through a thin veil of cloud on the Thursday afternoon of our visit and the building’s light, clean and wooden interior looked particularly fresh on our arrival.

Received into the bar with a welcome pint of Guinness (why is it a passenger journey is always longer than a driver journey?) we selected from a lunch menu that was heavy on fish and emphasised some interesting choices of flavour.

Oddly enough we were urged to make our choice while crowded around the one chalked up menu du jour and then shown to our table, selecting a well priced bottle of Gavi to begin (£16.95).

The five of us were seated on a lengthy wooden table (on a crowded boat I could imagine four times our number crowded around devouring fresh catch) overlooking the herb garden. Fresh focaccia, soda bread and olives got the juices flowing and starters of Pork Terrine – light, gelatinous and salty – and Mackerel on Toast with Horseradish - although light on the kick from Horseradish - were well received.

The real admiration was reserved for the headline act. A beautifully pink rump of marshland lamb (surely farmed only a stone’s throw away) was full of flavour as was a Seabass fillet with a mussel tartare arriving in a simmering broth of cooking juices. A perfectly sized Brill was taken by two of the party and both praised the full flavour and freshness of their choices.

Desserts consisted of a cheese selection, an ice-cold life affirming banana parfait and a naughty dark chocolate mousse with milk sorbet and salted caramel- we realised we’d made it through purgatory. Double espressos all round prepared us for the journey home.

Worth a visit, The Sportsman produces exceptionally fresh, beautifully tasting food by the great British seaside. The service, from a team of four ladies, had the perfect mix of youth and experience, presence and absence. Norah Jones played through the dusty Bose speakers.

Behind it's whitewashed exterior, The Sportsman is a gem of a restaurant in a town of crashing waves, stilted sea huts and passers through. Long may this outstanding food haven continue.

Steve McNeill

Pee Wee Ellis, Ronnie Scott's, London W1, 5/4/10

Live Review

Pee Wee Ellis & his Jazz Quartet @ Ronnie Scott’s, London W1, Monday 5/4/10

**** (Really quite good)

Did you know you are not allowed to take pictures in Ronnie Scott’s? (My excuse for the poor picture here.)

You are, however, obliged to mingle with some of music’s greatest talents.

On previous occasions I have found myself backstage with the superb Carleen Anderson and attempting to embrace the legendary Dr John as he made his way through the club.

On Monday night I ended up, stood on a Soho pavement, offering the great saxophonist and bandleader Pee Wee Ellis a smoke and explaining my favourite Pee Wee sax solo was when he took Van Morrison’s “Tupelo Honey” to another level during a performance at Montreux in 1980.

This moment of admiration outside a packed Ronnie Scott’s was one of many on an evening in which Ellis’ skills as a saxophonist, bandleader and all-round great guy were on show.

Pee Wee Ellis now resides in Frome, Somerset and had bought with him a homeboy, fellow tenor sax player Josh Arcoleo. The youngster, blessed with fantastic ability and tone added a touch of youth to a line up that was experienced and highly skilled.

Pee Wee’s theme for Monday night was jazz (he returned Tuesday evening with his Funk Assembly). However, the two highlights of the show came with a break from the tight, yet highly improvisational nature of the performance with a little blues number that swaggered with real character and “a song I wrote for James Brown” called “Chicken”. The soul vibe took the show up a notch.

Ronnie’s is a great place to see some great up-and-coming talent alongside famous names from the past. Pee Wee Ellis was James Brown’s musical director (JB Horns) and arranged Van Morrison’s live shows for years at the prime of his powers (Into The Music and onwards). His reputation is enough to sell a club full of tickets. His performance was good enough to sell more.

At 68, Ellis is no spring chicken. But his musicianship is still outstanding. In Arcoleo, he has found a saxophonist that will gain so much from being onstage with one of the most influential horn players in soul and funk music - and the youngster confidently holds his own against a seriously big name in sax music.

So excuse my poor picture taking… but Pee Wee and his band really were too good to take your eyes off.

Steve McNeill

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Imagine clicking to view this blog, or any other online article and being told you had to pay. That’s what will happen when The Times and The Sunday Times begins charging users to view its online content.

Rupert Murdoch may be the most powerful media tycoon in the country, but his opinion towards the internet, as quoted in The Independent on Saturday (March 27^th) is nothing short of outrageous.

That one man believes he can halt the trend of a global internet news marketplace in favour of preserving physical newspaper sales is absurd.

Michael Wolff, Murdoch’s biographer said, “He does not care about the online business, it’s about “buy my newspaper I will give you something extra [on the fact that Times and Sunday Times subscribers will have free online access]. If you don’t, I’m going to make the cost of online reading really quite onerous.” Rupert wants to be the guy that saved newspapers. He hates the internet.”

Isn’t that just insane? We are a news junky society. We consume news like we breathe air. I regularly read The Times Online and enjoy articles and comment by the likes of Jeremy Clarkson, Giles Coren and A A Gill.

Will I pay £1 a day or £2 a week to access this information in the future? I bloody doubt it.

I’d probably just buy the paper.

Steve McNeill

MUSICIAN FOCUS - Herbie Hancock

I have recently been researching and writing an article called “The ten greatest jazz pianists”. As a pianist myself who loves jazz (note I can’t call myself a jazz pianist) its been great fun. I’ve listened to some incredible music and discovered a lot of interesting information about “the ten greatest…” and although the definition of opinion dictates few people will agree with my run-down, I feel I can justify my top ten list.

Herbie Hancock is not just one of the most influential jazz musicians that has walked this earth – he is one of the most influential musicians of all time. He continues to embrace new music while remaining fresh and innovative.

One of my favourite records of 2009 was Hancock’s album The Joni Letters, a tribute to his long-time friend Joni Mitchell. The album was only the second jazz album to ever win the Grammy Award for Best Album (do you know what the first was?). Featuring collaborations with Norah Jones, Corrine Bailey-Rae, Leonard Cohen, Tina Turner and more, The Joni Letters is a masterclass in jazz piano. Hancock’s rearrangements of classic songs like “Case of You” and “Both Sides Now” stay faithful enough to the original chords and rhythms to be recognisable, yet venture far enough into Hancock virtuoso territory to be suitably outstanding works of musicianship.

My greatest admiration of Herbie comes from two of the best examples of jazz-fusion composition –“Watermelon Man” (1962) and “Cantaloupe Island” (1964). In both songs, the classic piano riffs are instantly recognisable and helped bring jazz to a more mainstream, pop-orientated audience.

Out of all the jazz greats, Hancock has incorporated other genres of music into jazz the most. As influential on hip-hop, funk and soul as he has been on jazz, Herbie continues to make great music, perform knockout shows and inspire countless other musicians (and non-musicians) across the world.

This video is a classic performance of the superb “Cantaloupe Island”. Composer, virtuoso, innovator… Enjoy a dose of the truly legendary Herbie Hancock.

The Misanthrope, Comedy Theatre, London, SW1

Theatre Review

The Misanthrope, Comedy Theatre, London, SW1, Wednesday 10th March 2010

**** (Very good: recommended)

As I write this review, I must confess I am not a regular theatre-goer. In fact, I haven’t set foot near a West End stage since I was 14 years old (even that wasn’t close, up in the Palladium’s roof-tiles). My comments about The Misanthrope are on face value and entertainment factor.

I cannot pretend that I was at the Comedy Theatre last night keen to see how Moliere’s “most famous comedy” has been interpreted for the London stage. I was there to see two of Britain’s best actors, well known for their silver screen soirées rather than their theatrical credits.

Damien Lewis and Kiera Knightly are the undoubted stars of the show. Their performances were well groomed (the show is in it’s final week) and elegant. Their communication was always clear and their characters convincing.

Lewis plays Alceste, a playwright who seems at every turn to be frustrated with everyone around him. Accusing others of shallowness and arrogance, his own weaknesses are clear for the audience and other characters to see.

Alceste’s love interest Jennifer (Kiera Knightly), is an American actress who lives by the “life is a stage” cliché. Knightly pulls off the American accent with consistency, although at times the nasal texture of some words fills the room. Ironically, Alceste loves Jennifer for all her faults – faults that he despairs at the rest of society for.

One scene in particular – just after an interval, which was more at the three quarter mark than the halfway point – had the audience consumed with tension and anticipation. As Alceste and Jennifer migrate from hatred of each other to lust, Lewis executes a well-rehearsed slap and the play steamrolls towards the final scene in which Jennifer is revealed as back stabbing and self-centered. Didn’t see that one coming.

The play teaches us that everyone (at least in this portrayed media world) is selfish – we are all out for ourselves. When Jennifer’s malicious comments about her ‘friends’ are revealed, we see, one-by-one, how none of them gives a shit (the journalist files her story, the drama-teacher rejoices at seeing her name in the paper and the fellow actor has another attempt to bury his face in the furry cup).

Much to the misanthrope’s despair, Jennifer tosses his fantasy of eloping with her into the wind. She isn’t interested in leaving her world behind. Maybe she was only interested in Alceste for matters of professional interest, despite her early insistence, “I love you… and I don’t use that word lightly”. An actress is never off duty.

Backed up by a superb supporting cast, the two stars turn on a great show. The script is humorous yet serious, filled with wit and irony at every turn.

The Misanthrope is a play that can be enjoyed on face value. Critics will look beyond at the degree to which it is faithful both to the original script and the Martin Crimp reworking. I simply enjoyed it.

Steve McNeill

David Ford - Let The Hard Times Roll

David Ford – Let The Hard Times Roll (Original Signal Recordings)

A musical masterclass from the Eastbourne troubadour

***** (Outstanding)

“I don’t really understand how I have been allowed to continue for so long given my phenomenal lack of commercial success. What I have come to believe is that the honesty of music might just stand a chance against the tried and tested bullshit of the machine. Not a great chance, but a chance nonetheless.”

So blogged David Ford on his website, just prior to the digital release of Let The Hard Times Roll, his new studio album.

In the last five years I can count on less than two hands the number of albums that have reaffirmed my faith in great music. After ten years of trying, Ford sounds like the real deal.

Let The Hard Times Roll is Ford’s proving ground. In this arena he demonstrates an innate ability to glide from the powerful and majestic to the vulnerable and questioning. Humanity and politics are the adrenaline running through the bloodstream of this record.

Opener “Panic” breaks into drama at the halfway point, stylistically reminiscent of classic Josh Ritter while “Sylvia” strolls along with overtones of Oasis’ “She’s Electric”.

In some ways, Ford is competing on Ryan Adams territory. But Adams could never make a record like this. The depth and focus of the lyrics are crafted somewhere between the poetic and the genius and are at their strongest on the simple, heartbreaking “Stephen” and the resigning, condemning “Nothing At All”. It is during the latter that Ford’s lyrical precision shines through, “In some far-flung aggression/kids are dying for me/I am nothing at all/like I wanted to be”.

The album closer “Call to Arms” is the most overtly political song on the record. But Ford tempers his demands with love, “This is a call to arms/hold your darling tight/don’t let her go at the fork in the road”. His message – stick together. Make your decisions with belief and love. Fight for honesty and truth. The songs ending feels like an opportunity missed to bring the album to an epic close, with Ford instead choosing a choir-like hymnal finale and a slightly awkward key change.

I have always believed that the honesty of music might just stand a chance against “the bullshit of the machine.” Let The Hard Times Roll reaffirms my belief in real songwriting. It is a craft borne out of hard graft, an understanding of the world we live in and the ability to translate that understanding into something more than just words. Add to these skills David Ford’s outstanding musicianship and Let The Hard Times Roll will hold it’s own as one of the finest records of the year.

David Ford is taking his solo show on tour to Canada and the US until March 26^th. In the UK, don’t miss him with his full band in Leeds - Brudenell Social Club (April 11^th), Newcastle – The Kluny 2 (April 12^th) and London – Camden Koko (April 13^th).

Steve McNeill

Groove Armada, Forum, London NW5 3/3/10

Live Review

Groove Armada @ Forum, Kentish Town, London NW5 – Wednesday 3/3/10

** (solid performance)

Pulling in a packed house to Kentish Town’s Forum on Wednesday night, Tom Findlay and Andy Kato’s Groove Armada seemed keen to leave their arrival on stage to the very last minute.

Perhaps concerned that the crowd would still be funneling out of nearby boozers having watched the most anticipated England friendly in years, Groove Armada finally emerged at nearly a quarter to ten.

Huge applause, massive sound and a great venue, Forum was packed to the rafters with a crowd that was more experienced than baby faced but still punched its fair share of appreciative youth.

Introducing a heavy load of new material from recent album Black Light, the band met with a warm early reception. Too many seemed uninterested in new singer SaintSaviour – a bleach-blonde futuristic reincarnation of La Roux with a penchant for Yoga-style arm workouts.

In contrast, when long-time collaborator MC M.A.D landed, the show took off. Effortlessly guiding the band through Get Down, M.A.D’s performance went down a treat. A return to the stage in the encore saw the band finish with a rollicking Superstylin’ creating chaos in every corner of the venue.

Underneath the tripping laser show (no drugs were consumed by the writer), Groove Armada lacked true musicianship, leaving the show rather two-dimensional. A going-through-the-motions approach to Ibiza classic At The River had more than a few people wanting more in an encore that was worth the entry fee alone.

Everything was solid – everything sounded fine – everyone enjoyed the show. Black Light may demonstrate that Groove Armada’s sound is changing, but their live act still shows they are a band that can easily operate at the highest level.

Leaving themselves just an hour and fifteen minutes to wow an audience that could probably have danced all night was a hard task. Unfortunately tonight, Groove Armada didn’t quite hit the mark.

Steve McNeill