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Michel Portal, a titan of European modern jazz and a celebrated film composer, has died at the age of 90.
His agent confirmed on Sunday that the multi-instrumentalist passed away last Thursday, marking the end of a prolific career that reshaped the landscape of improvised music.
Born in Bayonne in 1935, Portal began his musical journey on the clarinet at age eight and eventually became a master of diverse instruments, including the saxophone, the Argentine bandoneon, and the Hungarian taragot.
He is perhaps best remembered for his 1965 landmark album Free Jazz, a work credited with helping European musicians break away from American dominance in the genre.
Throughout his life, he moved fluidly between worlds, collaborating with avant-garde classical giants like Pierre Boulez and Karlheinz Stockhausen, as well as the funk musicians who backed the pop icon Prince.
His representative, Marion Piras, described him as a “huge monument” who remained “totally open to a huge amount of music and experiences.
Beyond the jazz stage, Portal was a powerhouse in the world of cinema. He composed scores for over 50 films between the 1960s and 2015, earning three César Awards—France’s equivalent of the Oscar.
His most famous cinematic contribution was for the 1982 historical drama The Return of Martin Guerre. His ability to blend his improvisational roots with structured film scoring made him one of the most sought-after composers in French film history.
Even in his ninth decade, Portal refused to slow down. His final album, released in 2021 to mark his 85th birthday, was awarded Jazz Album of the Year at France’s Victoires music awards.
From his early days in French Basque folk orchestras to his international reputation with the Michel Portal Unit, he remained a symbol of relentless curiosity and musical boundary-crossing until the very end.
