Bailador

The veteran French woodwinds player and composer Michel Portal is an eminent figure in the European free improvisation scene. He’s also collaborated with major classical composers, including the formidable Karlheinz Stockhausen, and has scored many films. 2011’s Bailador finds Portal leading a great band through a set of striking compositions. The album opens with the high-energy “Dolce,” which has exciting bass clarinet work by Portal. Drummer Jack DeJohnette and bassist Scott Colley shine here, and guitarist Lionel Loueke adds distinctive African-shaded playing to the cut. “Ombres,” a duet for acoustic guitar and bass clarinet, finds Loueke and Portal responding to each other in thoughtful ways. On “Citrus Juice,” bass clarinet and Ambrose Akinmusire’s trumpet play an intriguing theme over a Spanish-flavored groove; later, a trumpet statement is followed by a soprano sax solo. The opening of “One On One” swings hard, and eventually the group takes the music outside. (DeJohnette’s drum solo is awesome.) “Tutti No Hystérique” features another nice trumpet and bass clarinet pairing, and has some fine piano from Bojan Z.