Michel Portal

[A Lark Ascending]

Can't find an existing thread...surprised me.

I know very little of his music - the 'Minneapolis We Insist' disc and the Miroslav Vitous one he guests on. Suspect he crops up elsewhere in my collection but not that I can recall.

Any recommendations for records you particularly admire? He seems to have zillions of discs out.

Edited March 6, 2015 by A Lark Ascending

[Shawn]

This one is AMAZING!

[mjazzg]

I'll second the 'Blow Up' and add 'Dockings' on Label Bleu which is the only other I have.

'Alors' on Futura is also very good from the parts I've heard (coupled with Surman)

[Homefromtheforest]

I have almost all of his records and CDs. "Dockings" is a great later one. "Bird watcher" for me was much better then "Minneapolis". "Burundi" is another great disc in a more world music vein. And of course all his early LPs from "our meanings and feelings" onwards are fantastic. Also recommended is "new phonic art" and "exotica" by Kagel but both are more in "contemporary music" territory.

[clifford_thornton]

More familiar with his early work, all of which I have on LP. I saw him live during the Minneapolis/We Insist era and it was much more interesting than the discs from that time. He's a fantastic player and a nice guy - I interviewed him for AAJ, and that might still be posted.

Also the Tom Perchard (board member umum_cypher !) book "After Django" covers Portal in some detail and I recommend it without hesitation - it's a wonderful volume.

[colinmce]

Don't know nearly as much as I should but I love him on Remembering Weather Report, which is just a tremendous record in general. Need to get more.

[clifford_thornton]

Old thing I wrote on New Phonic Art:

http://www.paristransatlantic.com/magazine/monthly2007/04ap_text.html#3

In other words, if I wrote it today it would look a lot different...

[A Lark Ascending]

Thanks for the recs. Both Dockings and Blow Up are on e-music so I can get those easily (and inexpensively!).

The earlier records seem to be MIA. Or I might be looking in the wrong place.

Played...

...last night.

Really enjoyed it. Extremely varied with some absolutely blistering Miles-like fusion.

I suspect what put me off when I bought it were some very poor vocals (not many) including a bit of rapping (not something I'm attuned to); I was probably expecting something a bit more free-wheeling freebop so suffered from expectations not gratified. Pain in the neck, expectations.

Did not realise he was so accomplished in the classical field - seem to be a fair few recordings.

****************

Thanks for the "After Django: Making Jazz in Postwar France" rec. too. Being published in paperback here at the end of the month. There's very little in print on European jazz so this will be very welcome.

Edited March 7, 2015 by A Lark Ascending

[optatio]

Michel Portal Quartet: Yanamah, Sept. 03, 1970

Michel Portal (as), Barre Phillips (b), Jean Pierre Drouet (perc), Jacques Thollot (dr)

http://www.ina.fr/video/I09202578/quartet-michel-portal-yanamah-video.html

[RogerF]

Alors! with John Surman and the Trio - reissued on CD a few years back is definitely worth hearing (as mentioned by mjazzg above)

Edited March 8, 2015 by RogerF

[Head Man]

Alors! with John Surman and the Trio - reissued on CD a few years back is definitely worth hearing (as mentioned by mjazzg above)

Yes, that one is indeed very good....