T HE G AZ ET T E
Wednesday, August 21, 2013 z
Page A-17
Alinea: A wine connoisseur’s dream is just a short flight away Inventive, exciting, imaginative, fascinating, thrilling, exceptional, delicious, amazing ... the list of superlatives used to describe dinner at Alinea is nearly as long as the drive from O’Hare to the restaurant’s location in Chicago’s Lincoln Park district. At Alinea, a refined, exquisitely prepared meal is transformed into performance art where the chef, staff and diner are each intimately involved in the entire experience. It is no easy feat to match wines with ingredients as varied as rabbit, cherry blossom, wasabi and smoke. The courses dance from light and airy (green apple taffy balloon) to multifaceted and profound, each designed to require the diners to interact with the preparations. This makes the wine pairings even more difficult since there are often multiple options within each course that provide different intensities
GRAPELINES
BY LOUIS MARMON and sequences of flavors. Not surprisingly, the talented team at Alinea made outstanding wine selections that both complemented and enhanced the evening’s multiple dishes. Alinea offers two levels of wine pairings. Considering the price of the evening and the reputation of the establishment, it was easy to opt for the less exclusive choice, confident that the wines would be both excellent and surprising. They opened with Jean Lalle-
ment et Fils “Verzanay” Brut Grand Cru Champagne. One of the smaller cham-
pagne producers, Lallement farms slightly less than 10 acres in Montagne de Reims, Champagne’s most northern
region. A blend of 80 percent Pinot and 20 percent Chardonnay, it had floral, fig and citrus aromas that extended into subtle stone fruit, melon, honey and herbaceous flavors. The long finish was complemented with clove, pepper and candied fruit. The next pairing wasn’t really a wine, but rather Sake which is produced by fermenting rice in a fashion similar to making beer. The Takasago Ginza Shizuku “Divine Droplets” Junmai Daiginjo-shu is created in igloos
located in the northern Japanese province of Hokkaido when the temperature falls below 14 degrees. It was silky, very fragrant beauty that began with cedar, mint and slightly salty aromas which flowed beautifully into delicate honeydew, jasmine, and mineral notes with an almost sweet, persistent finish.
German Rieslings are underappreciated in the U.S. The Dr. Thanisch “Berncasteler Doctor” Kabinett 2010 — so named because a 13th century Archbishop was miraculously cured with a sip of wine from this vineyard — is one of the country’s finest Rieslings. Elegant, refined and enticingly complex, it had pear, peach and smoky spice fragrances that led into concentrated and ideally balanced apple, melon, and pear flavors combined with hints of petrol, honey and minerals. It is an axiom that it is nearly impossible to pair any wine with artichokes. That is why the surprising Lopez de Heredia “Vina Gravonia” Blanco 2003 was such an inspired,
ideal choice. A Rioja white created from 50 year old vines, this 100 percent Viura had almond, honey and stone fruit aromas that joined layers of
oak, apple, earth, wax and pear flavors to provide a complex, medium-bodied and unique foil to the earthiness and flavors of the artichokes. Complementing the veal cheeks and a melange of “spring bounty” was the Ar. Pe. Pe. Grumello “Rocca de Piro” Valtellina 2006, a sophisticated Nebbiolo with a nose of candied cherry, roses and raspberries expanding into notes of dark berries, earth and leather. Chosen to pair with a diverse panoply of condiments to savor with five different duck preparations was the marvelous Chateau Musar 2004 that showed spicy dark cherry, raspberry, toffee and subtle gamey favors. The best of the dessert wine offerings was the delicious caramel, honey and lemon peel flavored Disznoko 5 Puttonyos Tokaji-Aszu 2005,
a nectar like delight with seamless balance and alluring sweetness.
TRIPLE
HARMONY
is dedicated to bringing folk musicians and performances to venues in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia. According to Summerour, the group supports more than 200 events a year. “I saw the New Century show almost a year ago at the Irish festival in Fairfax,” Summerour said. “ ... I just said, ‘I have to produce this show.’” Based in D.C., New Century offers programs in both performance and professional development in an effort to make Irish music accessible to the public. The performance branch of the company is broken into two ensembles: The New Century Ceili Band and The New Century American Irish-American Company. The latter is the group of 20 dancers and musicians who will perform at Saturday’s concert. Peter Brice of Annapolis founded New Century in 2011 along with choreographer and step-dancer Kate Bole. According to Brice, his ancestors immigrated to Annapolis from Ireland around 1698. Though he said he didn’t grow up with a strong Irish tradition, Brice, a button accordion player, said he “took up Irish music because [he] loved the sound.” Brice went on to graduate from the Peabody Conservatory Preparatory program and earn a bachelor’s degree in Irish Traditional Music and Dance from the University of Limerick. The New Century style of Irish music is largely informed by the legacy of accordionist and composer Billy McComiskey, fiddler and composer Brendan Mulvihill and Irish dance expert Peggy O’Neill. Though she is now deceased, O’Neill’s daughter Laureen and other instructors carry on her legacy through instruction at the O’Neill James School of Irish Dance. McComiskey, who taught Brice to play the accordion, and Mulvihill came to D.C. from their native New York in 1975. They played as The Irish Tradition, frequenting The Dubliner, an Irish pub on Capitol Hill. Their sound drew heavily on the accordion tradition that comes out of Galway. The sound developed by McComiskey and Mulvihill in the 1970s and the style of dance made popular by O’Neill in the 1960s has helped to define the Maryland tradition of Irish music and New Century’s style of music. “We have a native style of Irish traditional music that we’ve grown here,” Brice said. “With this rooted Maryland identity, [we’re] able to bring it home.” Beyond their accordion-fueled sound, which differentiates them from Irish traditional music in New York which is largely defined by the fiddle, another unique trait about the members of New Century is their heritage. “Not everyone is of Irish decent,” Brice said. And even those such as Brice who are of Irish decent are more likely to be several generations removed from the country. “In Washington and Maryland, this Irish tradition would be the province of native-born Americans as opposed to places like New York or Boston where it’s still often played by the first
Smith, who covered all four roles in the original play Off Broadway, said the show has beautiful music — arrangements by James Raitt of classics such as “Three Coins in a Fountain,” “Heart and Soul,” “Catch a Falling Star” and “Love is a Many-Splendored Thing.” It is also very funny and also very touching, he said. “It’s not a jukebox musical — it’s very well crafted,” said Smith. “It has a script and things happen, the guys change.” The leader of the group is Frankie, played by Austin Colby, who studied theater at American University and lives in Silver Spring. “Of all the four, he’s probably the most confident but even he gets a little nervous,” said Colby about his character, who must deal with his asthma attacks and the insecurities of his fellow singers. “He cares about the guys, and he constantly wants to keep the show going,” Colby said. “It’s great music, and the characters are charming,” he said. “You’re rooting for them to come out of their shell.” Brandon Duncan, who plays Smudge, agrees with Colby about the music. In fact, all four actors said they have enjoyed singing together on and off stage. “I love all the super-tight harmonies,” said Duncan, who studied musical theater at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va. Some of the humor in the show is based on the singers trying to update the between-songs patter they wrote in 1964 for the audience they’re now in front of, he said. Humor also arises out of the quirks and maladies of the singers. “They’re all nerdy characters who don’t know what’s going on,” said Duncan. “But they never laugh at each other. They’re there to lift each other up.” Duncan said Smudge, for example, is definitely a worrier. “He’s like the Eeyore of the group, he doesn’t want to be there,” he said. “He’s a more introverted panicker [than the others], but by the end, his glasses fly off and he has a big solo.” Jinx, played by Chris Rudy, also gets a solo, “Cry,” made famous by Johnny Ray in the 1950s. “Jinx is the shy one of the group, but the others are very protective of him,” said Rudy, who studied theater at Towson University. A high tenor, Jinx is a lot more comfortable when he’s singing than when he’s talking to people, but the problem is that when he hits a high A, he gets a nosebleed. He’s also dealing with a bad case of stage fright. “He never remembers what moves he’s supposed to do or what the lyrics are,” Rudy said. Jinx is also experiencing a spell of sibling rivalry with his more outgoing step-brother Sparky, played by David Landstrom, who studied at American University in Washington, D.C. “Sparky is energetic, he’s the life of the party,” said Landstrom. “He loves the spotlight, and he’s always talking to the audience and mugging.” “It’s a fun role,” he said. “There’s a lot of energy you have to give off, it’s all very specific [to each character].” He said one of the challenges of the role is balancing the humor and the emotion in the musical, both of which he appreciates. “This isn’t a typical jukebox musical,” Landstrom said. “It’s really original, and it has more substance. It’s very touching. It gets me. It’s not just a collection of songs.”
Continued from Page A-13
SINBAD
Continued from Page A-13 rated music into several of your shows. How important is funk and blues and jazz to you? Sinbad: For me, see, it was always music before comedy when I was coming up. I was in bands growing up and I was playing drums by the time I was in fifth grade. I had been playing music for 30 years as I became a comic right after I went to college to play basketball. It was always in me. I was a DJ and I was collecting music and listening to music. I would rather go see a live band than go to the clubs to hang out. For me, as I saw the music I love, the thing I love, start to leave … it’s not just about being old. You listen at these young folks’ music, they have live music growing up, but it was just that it was going away. It was dying. It just bothered me. So I do everything that I can to keep it alive. I always talk about it because I think when you take away a culture’s music, you lose that culture.
Continued from Page A-13
PHOTO BY KEITH ROSSMILLER.
New Century dancer Kate Kliner.
THE BIG REEL NO. 1 n When: 8 p.m. Saturday n Where: 805 Wayne Ave., Silver Spring n Tickets: $16 for nonmembers, $13 for FSGW members, $40 for family (two adults, two children), $10 for students n For information: FSGW.org n Upcoming concerts: The Ocean Quartet will perform Sept. 20 at Creative Cauldron in Falls Church, Va., and the South Roscommon Singers will perform Sept. 22 at Glen Echo Town Hall in Glen Echo.
generations,” Brice said. But it’s their distance from the Irish culture
A&E: You’ve spent your career working clean and avoiding R and NC-17 material. Was that a conscious decision by you or was that just came naturally because you grew up the son of a preacher? Sinbad: Well, just because you’re a son of a preacher doesn’t make you that way. Sometimes you’re more crazy. I always liked controversial stuff. I think sometimes you need to push the limit. When I first started out, I was dirty, but we were trying to be Richard Pryor, man. All of us was trying to be Richard. He had set that standard. I said, “Man, we all sound the same.” We were a cheap imitation. It’s like being a Gucci bag knockoff. We were like Gocci — we would never be Gucci. ... I just wanted to do something different. I flipped it — I didn’t change my routine, I just changed the words. I didn’t change one thing that I talked about. I realized, “Man, not only can I be funny, I actually can become more controversial and talk about more stuff because I’m not cussing because I can get your attention.”
that Brice said makes The New Century sound and look distinct. “What’s really important about the work that we’re doing is that we’ve broken the IrishAmerican mold,” he said. “Sometimes IrishAmericans have an inferiority complex about Irish traditional music ... that they couldn’t possibly have it right ... In this area, we weren’t raised in it so we’re approaching it as we want to understand it fully ...” With their combination of 1960s and 1970s influences along with their own creative spin, Summerour said New Century has managed to do something not all ensembles can. “They celebrate the tradition that came before them,” Summerour said. “Peter is able to reach into the past but bring forth the future.”
A&E: Here recently, you’ve done some voiceover work with “American Dad” and the justreleased Walt Disney movie “Planes” — is that something you can see yourself doing more of in the future? Sinbad: I did a lot of it back when I first came in. I did “Homeward Bound” where I played a horse. I’ve done quite a few voiceovers. For me, it’s fun. And it’s quick. I have fun in there. I know a lot of people don’t, but I have a ball. I found a way that works for me. When I came in to do “Planes,” my character was a one-afternoon taping and they liked what I did and I came back in about two more times and they expanded the character. A&E: Sports seem to be a big part of your life — you played basketball and you starred as a defensive lineman in “Necessary Roughness.” Are you still big into sports? Sinbad: There was a time in my life when I was coming up — I love basketball like a person needs water to live. I loved it. I think basketball got
chedgepeth@gazette.net
vterhune@gazette.net thing, forget what you are today and think about what you want to become. People would laugh at me, but I was already seeing this other guy in my mind and I applied that to everything I did.
Comedian Sinbad voices the character Roper in Disney’s “Planes.” me to where I need to be as a comedian. When I first started, I was a terrible athlete. I mean, I cried I was so bad. That’s why I love my father so much. He’s the one that said, “Look, we can change this if you work hard.” And I got mad because I didn’t have this natural ability. He said, “There’s this thing called persistence and not giving up.” I said, “That’s not a talent!” And I realized it is. He
DISNEY
told me, “If you don’t mind being the worst one in the room for a short period of time, you can become great.” I didn’t realize what lesson he had given me. No matter what I was going to do — I was going to play drums, I was going to play guitar — if you don’t mind suffering for that short period of time … I’m even laughing about it. There’s a quote he gave me: If you want to become some-
A&E: You’ve got the show coming out through Fathom in theaters across the country, but after that, what’s on the horizon? What’s next for Sinbad? Sinbad: I want to do some more TV and some more movies, but I want to do what I’ve been trying to do since I got here. I said let me do the stuff I’ve been writing. I want to direct. I want to produce other things. That’s what I’m excited about. As far as TV, I don’t know if I’ll do sitcom work again because once reality shows came in, you can’t make anything funnier than real cable now. Pawn boys and duck people, you can’t write that.
To read more, including what Sinbad thinks about LeBron James, visit our website at gazette.net. wfranklin@gazette.net