Classically trained clarinetist, saxophonist and composer Michel Portal has distinguished himself as a promoter of free jazz and free improvisation in France. Born in Bayonne on November 27, 1935, he won first prize at the Paris Conservatoire in 1959, and went on to win several competitions, including the Geneva International Competition in 1963. However, instead of the concert career that awaited him, the musician who recorded contemporary scores with Pierre Boulez and the Musique Vivante ensemble, and accompanied chanson stars such as Barbara, Claude Nougaro and Serge Gainsbourg, opted for free jazz, of which he became a pioneer in France. Founder of the New Phonic Art (1969-1973) and the Michel Portal Unit, which left a historic performance at the Châteauvallon festival in August 1972, Michel Portal devotes himself to free improvisation and sound research with partners such as Bernard Vitet, Léon Francioli, Daniel Humair, Jeff Gilson, Bernard Lubat, Joachim Kühn, Aldo Romano and Richard Galliano. He has also scored films such as L'Ombre Rouge (1981), Le Retour de Martin Guerre (1983) and Max, Mon Amour (1986), and performed Mozart's Clarinet Concerto (1989) and other chamber music compositions by Brahms, Mendelssohn and C.P.E. Bach. Eager for new collaborations and experiences, the eclectic composer invited American musicians for the album Minneapolis (2000) and surrounded himself with numerous collaborators, including Ambrose Akinmusire, Bojan Z and Jack DeJohnette on Baïlador (2010), followed by a jazz and classical recital with the Quatuor Ebène on Eternal Stories (2017). At eighty-five, his breath is still green on his latest album, MP85 (2021). On February 12, 2026, Michel Portal died at the age of 90.
