MICHEL PORTAL QUINTET "PARIS 68-01-20"
Michel Portal, tenor saxophone, bass clarinet
Joachim Kühn, piano
Barre Phillips, double bass
Jean-François Jenny-Clark, double bass
Aldo Romano, drums
1. A Notre Père 35:36
Recorded at La Maison de la Radio, Foyer B, Paris on January 20, 1968.
(pre-fm)
Michel Portal, alto & tenor saxophone, clarinet, bandoneon
Bernard Vitet, trumpet, violin
Leon Francioli, double bass, trombone, cello
Beb Guérin, double bass, piano
Jean-Pierre Drouet, drums
Bernard Lubat, drums, percussion, piano
Tamia, vocals
01 - Splendid Yzlment (MP,comp) (fade-in) 10:57
02 - Title 73:32
03 - Title 21:37
Recorded December 31, 1976 at Centre Culturel Robert Desnos,
Ris Orangis (near Paris).
A multi-ethnic and multi-cultural line-up led by a very vital
(seventy-five years old) M. Portal.
Rec. live at "Museion", Bolzano, Italy, on July 2, 2011
(mics recording)
Michel Portal,bass clarinet,soprano sax
Mark Turner,tenor sax
Bojan Zulfikarpasic,piano,fender rhodes
Larry Grenadier,bass
Jeff Ballard,drums
1. Dolce [M.Portal] (15:09)
2. Bailador [M.Portal] (12:39)
3. Lady B [J.Ballard] (15:08)
4. Citrus Juice [E.Louiss] (13:40)
5. Sky & Country [J.Ballard] (13:13)
6. Cuba Si, Cuba No [M.Portal] (15:00)
Total Time 1:24:52
Citrus Juice
This is for kinabalu and his collection of Portal's recordings.
Rec. live at "Teatro Piscina", Genoa, Italy, on July 20, 1999
(mix recording)
Michel Portal,soprano sax,bass clarinet,bandoneon
Bojan Zulfikarpasic,piano
1. The Joker (Sacem) (16:25)
2. Voyage (06:38)
3. James (06:09)
4. Mozambique (07:37)
5. De Petiot (08:03)
6. Intranquiero (14:13)
7. Barouf (05:36)
8. Solitudes (02:44)
9. Mutinerie (03:03)
Total Time 1:10:31
Continuing with the Portal series, we're now up to 1978 and a concert in Kleve in Germany. A different line-up from the earlier Portal Unit postings here:
MICHEL PORTAL QUARTET
8-May 1978
Stadthalle (WDR Jazzmeeting), Kleve, Germany
source/line-age: FM > ? > CDR (trade) > Flac (level 6) > Dime
Michel Portal: cl,sax,bandoneon,voc
Dieter Feichtner: synth
Barre Phillips: b
Pierre Favre: dr,perc
1. unidentified title 28:23
2. unidentified title 14:24
3. radio announcement 00:24
Scholleck notes that "this recording doesn't include the complete concert (but likely the complete broadcast); it is usually circulating like this, but I've seen listed a longer version (actually with 8-May 1979 as date!!)
The setlist of that version:
1. Volcan (MP,comp) 30:18 (likely track 1 in this seed)
2. Journal Violone (BP,comp) 24:50
3. Bauernfreund (DF,comp) 15:23"
The second track in the posted set here may be "Bauernfreund" which sounds quite different from the first track - not unlike a type of electronically enhanced folk music from an unspecified location - shades of the Balkans and North Africa in there - something Terry Riley might have concocted. The first track is typical Portal - more to the fore here than in earlier Unit postings with Phillips laying down a steady rhythmic backbone for Portal improv. The second track from the alternative setlist seems to be missing - a Phillips composition which wound up up on a solo bass record of the same name. And no Portal is complete without him whipping out the bandoneon - right there at the end of the last track.
Still more Portal to come (and some Francois Tusques as well)
Continuing our Michel Portal series, here is a fairly short piece recorded in Köln in 1977. His input here is more as a player and less as a composer/leader. This piece is also less jazz-related than previous postings and perhaps better categorised as new or contemporary music.
This was recorded sometime in 1977 at Studio Elektronische Musik (WDR), Köln, Germany
The players are:
Michel Portal: cl
Othello Liesmann: cello
Munir Bashir: oud
Fujiro Yuasa: shakuhachi
Thomas Kessler: electronics
1. Dialoge für zwei europäische und zwei außereuropäische Instrumente, Live-Elektronik und Tonband (Kessler) 18:12
Scholleck (who uploaded this piece at Dime) notes that "Kessler's list of works lists "Dialoge für 2 aussereuropäische u. 2 europäische Musiker und Vocoder" (1977). Reconstructing how and for what occasion this ensemble came to life is a little hard these days, but after all it is possible this actually is not a Portal-lead group, and he's "only" one interpreter here among others (it appears the latter at least is true in this recording at hand of the Kessler-composition)."
Portal is adept in crossing musical boundaries and was an important contributor to Stockhausen's "Aus den sieben Tagen" from 1968. This work appears to have led to the formation of New Phonic Art in 1969, a group of improvisors who made at least one record. It would certainly be very interesting to hear the Stockhausen work in total, originally issued as seven lps and later as seven cds. The cds can be ordered directly from the Stockhausen Verlag, though on the expensive side, but including a huge booklet. It would be interesting to know if any of our readers has heard it and has views about it.
More info here:
http://home.swipnet.se/sonoloco2/Rec/Stockhausen/14.html
Meanwhile, dig in! More Portal to come!
My second and last contribution at the musical
story of M.Portal : a single piece, since the
concert devoleped as a long (very long) medley.
Terrific work by the couple Francioli/Favre,
at the level of the most famous Holland/Altschul
or Parker/Drake.
Rec. live in Lovere, Italy, on June 17th, 1979
(mix recording)
Michel Portal,reeds,bandoneòn
Albert Mangelsdorff,trombone
Leon Francioli,bass
Pierre Favre,percussions
1. Track #1 (1:19:49)
Just a little help to kinabalu for covering
a bit of ground in M. Portal's musical story :
this is the first of two concerts, by the great
French musician, i've taped.
Really, more than a concert, this duo with
B.Lubat is an happening with moments
remembering the theatre of the absurd.
Rec. live at "Rocca Sforzesca", Imola, Italy,
on July 14th, 1978 (mics recording)
Michel Portal,reeds,bandoneòn
Bernard Lubat,percussions,piano,synth
1. Track #1 (46:10)
2. Track #2 (10:15)
Total time 56:25
I've posted a set of the Michel Portal Unit from 1974 before, so fast-forwarding to 1976, here is a set live at the Willisau Jazz Festival on 27 August 1976. The line-up is as follows:
Michel Portal: sax,bcl,bandoneon
Albert Mangelsdorff: tb
Bernard Lubat: p,synth,perc
Beb Guérin: b
Leon Francioli: b
Pierre Favre: dr,perc
Portal, Lubat, Francioli and Guerin are in the picture above which adorned the front cover of the Chateauvallon 76 lp. In addition, Pierre Favre is in this line-up (as well as on the former Unit album from Chateauvallon 72) and last, but not least, Albert Mangelsdorff is putting in a fine performance here.
In essence, one long piece, cut into three on this upload from ........... As with the 1974 concert, a strong rhythmic pulse, driven by two percussionists and two bassists and a flowing shift between genres and styles, never losing sight of the melodious touch. At one point Portal is grabbing the bandoneon to insert a bit of folkiness and the final piece ends on a smoochy note with what sounds like fireworks erupting in the background. A communal feel to the unit with no leader calling the shots all the time and with enough space for everyone to throw their bits into the ring.
More to come from Portal for sure. I'm planning to do it chronologically, so we'll end up in 2009 for sure at some point in the future, but lots of ground to cover before then.
Michel Portal is one of those multi-instrumental, multi-genre musicians it seems impossible to pin down. He's adept in the classical music world, he's at home in the world of contemporary music and free improvisation, he's attached to folk music in Europe (hailing from Bayonne in the Basque region of France) and abroad and he was in the first generation of people to introduce free jazz to audiences in his native France and elsewhere in Europe. So what to make of him? Who knows and who cares? He sees himself as an anarchist and why not?
In the 1970s the Michel Portal Unit made a couple of records for French labels. First was one called "No no but maybe" recorded at Chateauvallon in 1972 and released on the Chant du Monde label. Later came the "Chateavallon 76" record on the L'Escargot label. I've got both of those, but the first one has been rereleased on cd and should be fairly easy to obtain. The second one remains out of print. The picture above is taken from the inner sleeve of the first Chateauvallon record.
The line-up on the first Cahteauvallon record is the same as the one we will hear here.
The basic info:
MICHEL PORTAL UNIT
8-Mar 1974
NDR Funkhaus, Hamburg, Germany
Michel Portal: as,ts,cl,bandoneon
Bernard Vitet: tp,vln,frh,p
Beb Guérin: b
Léon Francioli: b,cello
Pierre Favre: dr,perc
1. La Guepe (Vitet) 09:31
2. Nolilanga (Francioli) 15:59
3. Kronenche (Portal) 16:49
4. Splendid Yzlment (Portal) 35:18
Most likely recorded from FM radio to tape and then transferred to a digital medium.
The unusual feature of this line-up is the presence of two bassists, Francioli and Guerin. I believe they can be heard as they are positioned in the above picture with Francioli in the left channel and Guerin in the right. Their presence gives the performance a strong rhythmic propelling force and an added depth. Both Favre and Vitet add to the percussive punch of the ensemble.
Another feature of the Unit is that there's no clear sense of a leader or lead instrument. Each throws their lot into the ring and all sorts of interplay pop up in the course of these extended pieces. There's no marked sense of tunes being played either as a recognisable melody might turn up anywhere from any of the Unit members at any point in time. Yet it never sounds like an unstructured blow-out typical of free jazz ensenbles at the time. A feeling of space is kept throughout for quiter interactions between two or more.
Portal heads off the set with what sounds like an emulated didgeridoo or an accidental meeting of aboriginals during a walkabout and rounds off with an Argentinian tango on the bandoneon. In between, lots of things are happening on a multitude of instruments and not according to any thought out scheme either. All in all, highly unpredictable, highy enjoyable and highly entertaining!
This was upped at Dime by .......................so a tip of the hat for this and other Portal goodies. There shall be more Portal in the time to come!