Multi-instrumentalist (clarinets, saxophones, bandoneon, etc.) Michel Portal, composer and pianist, can be considered the father figure of French modern jazz. Portal, a classically trained musician, gained fame through his association with contemporary and modern music composers. Portal’s performance as Pierre Boulez’s featured soloist on Domaines is still a highlight in his career. This exceptional musician was also a keen fan of folk music and jazz. He was a pioneer of the French free jazz movement in the late 1960s with Bernard Vitet and Francois Tusques. To encourage collective improvisation and sonic explorations and instant composition, he founded New Phonic Art in Paris with Vinko Globokar and Carlos Roque Alsina. Portal began a productive collaboration with John Surman in 1970. He created the Michel Portal Unit in 1970, which was a structure that allowed European and American musicians to meet in an improvised environment. Musiques de Cinemas has a lot of information about how movie soundtracks were written. Portal had many musical adventures in the 1980s and 1990s. He never followed a plan and was always open to new opportunities. Pierre Favre and Dave Liebman, Martial Solal and Mino Cinelu were his most prominent collaborators during that time. Jack DeJohnette was also a notable member of this group. Portal made a connection with the U.S. at the beginning of the 21st century. In particular, Minneapolis. Portal enlisted the assistance of Prince’s musicians in order to create a rock-tinted project that was yet another departure from allmusic
