Michel Portal

Composers

Biography

Born: November 27, 1935; Bayonne, France  
Multi-instrumentalist (clarinets, saxophones, bandoneon, etc.) and composer Michel Portal can be considered as the father figure of the French modern jazz scene.

Classically trained, Portal gained notoriety through his association with various modern and contemporary music composers. His performance as the featured soloist on Pierre Boulez's Domaines remains a highlight of his career. However, this exceptional musician also had a serious Read more interest in folk music and jazz. In the late '60s, he initiated the free jazz movement in France with François Tusques, Bernard Vitet, and Sunny Murray. He went on to form New Phonic Art with Vinko Globokar, Carlos Roque Alsina, and Jean-Pierre Drouet to encourage collective improvisation, sonic explorations, and instant composing. In 1970, Portal developed a fruitful collaboration with John Surman. The following year, he created the long-lived Michel Portal Unit, a structure designed to have European and American musicians meet in a freely improvised setting. In 1975, writing movie soundtracks became a regular activity, which is well-documented on Musiques de Cinémas. In the '80s and '90s, Portal went through countless new musical encounters, never following a plan and always seizing the moment. During that period, his most notable collaborators included Pierre Favre, Dave Liebman, Martial Solal, Mino Cinelu, and Jack DeJohnette. At the turn of the century, Portal finally started to make a serious connection with the U.S., and Minneapolis in particular. He enlisted the help of some of Prince's musicians to develop a rock-tinged project which represented yet another departure. Read less

Featured Michel Portal CDs & DVDs:

Brahms: Horn Trio, Clarinet Trio / Del Vescovo, Portal
Brahms: Horn Trio, Clarinet Trio / Del Vescovo, Portal
Release Date: 04/11/2005   Label: Apex  
Catalog: 4617922   Number of Discs: 1
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Browse 26-28 of 28 Available Recordings
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  • 26.
    Gidon Kremer - Hommage A Piazzolla
    Gidon Kremer - Hommage A Piazzolla
    Label: Nonesuch   Catalog: 79407 Release Date: 09/24/1996   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Astor Piazzolla,  Jerzy Peterburshsky
    Performer:  Gidon Kremer,  Vadim Sakharov,  Alois Posch,  Per Arne Glorvigen  ... 
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  • 27.
    Prokofiev: The 5 Piano Concertos / Béroff, Masur
    Prokofiev: The 5 Piano Concertos / Béroff, Masur
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 62542 Release Date: 09/29/1992   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Sergei Prokofiev
    Performer:  Michel Béroff,  Michel Portal
    Conductor:  Kurt Masur
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Parrenin String Quartet,  Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra
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  • 28.
    Poulenc: Chamber Music / Menuhin, Fournier, Bourgue, Civil, Paris Wind Quintet
    Poulenc: Chamber Music / Menuhin, Fournier, Bourgue, Civil, Paris Wind Quintet
    Label: Emi Laser Series   Catalog: 62736 Release Date: 01/01/1980   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Francis Poulenc
    Performer:  Michel Portal,  Maurice Gabai,  John Iveson,  John Wilbraham  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Paris Woodwind Quintet
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