15 October 2008

Michel Portal Unit in Hamburg 1974 (NDR Jazz Workshop No.99)



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!

23 comments:

kinabalu said...

mp3 version:

http://tinyurl.com/4mvc97


flac version:

http://tinyurl.com/42cwap
http://tinyurl.com/5yesbq
http://tinyurl.com/46ygrv
http://tinyurl.com/3egqus

1009 said...

Thanks a lot for this, K. It prompted me to look around & find the 76 session on Fredito's site. Very reminiscent of New Phonic Art for me (although w/ more of a sense of humor, I think?).

angelito said...

So plrase, please, please .Can anybody post "improvisations" and "intergalactic blow" by G.U.O.
both on Japo records ?
I´m lookinf desperately.
THX in advance.

SOTISE said...

thanks kinabalu..vive le drapeau noir...

angelito ...
i can post improvisations but if you check the my opera network youll find both have been posted elsewhere at 320 ,in any case.

angelito said...

sotise , thx for your attention but i can´t find the posts at my opera , so if you can post it or tell me the links i´ll be always pleased.and sorry my english.

angelito said...

sotise , thx for your attention but i can´t find the posts at my opera , so if you can post it or tell me the links i´ll be always pleased.and sorry my english.

CtLxItIVA said...

thanks for that one.
i love Portal's universe.
i really hope to see more portal bootlegs floating here :D

GBML said...

Thanks a lot
a ndr workshop? No.?

Anonymous said...

Thank you!

Does anyone have Jouck Minor's "Candles of Vision" on Calig? That is the rarest French avant LP in the world!

kinabalu said...

gbml; yes, an NDR workshop, nr. 99, produced by Michael Naura.

ctlxitiva; for sure, there will be more Portal on this blog.

1009; thanks for notifying about the posting of the 1976 Chateauvallon. I'll grab a copy for the Ipod ;-)

Anonymous said...

Wow! Many thanks for this! I've got it playing right now. While as you mentioned in the text, "No no but maybe" is out on CD, but it's impossible to find - at least I haven't found it. If you know of any blogs with it, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks again for all the amazing historical music!

Discobole said...

Thanks!
Never enough Portal!
Actually, "non, no, but it may be..." is not the actual title of the recording:
you will find it at:
http://www.amazon.fr/Chateauvallon-ao%C3%BBt-1972-Michel-Portal/dp/B000099O1E/ref=sr_1_34?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1246689705&sr=1-34
Enjoyyyyyyyyyyyyy!

kinabalu said...

discobole,

actually "No no but it may be" is the title, or so it says on the spine of the Chant du Monde lp I've got.

Yes, I do think it can be ordered from France on cd, but the original album is long out of print.

nato (en minuscules) said...

For info, the title "Kronenche" is a composition of Beb Guérin

Ernst Grgo Nebhuth said...

1fichier

Bippy said...

Thanks so much for this!! I am
appreciating Michel Portal more
and more as I listen to his live
recordings. Amazing that this
innovative, iconoclastic jazz
musician also played on so
many classical recordings
from Mozart to Stockhausen
and Globokar.

JazzHound said...

THANK YOU! This is brilliant!

correct silence said...

Is it possible to re-post this live? Thanks in advance

Ernst Grgo Nebhuth said...

1fichier

JColtrane said...

Thank you very much

Guitarradeplastico,scraping oddities said...

Thank you very much

JazzHound said...

SWEET!

Brewing Luminous said...

Thank you