In France, musicians were playing out from around the mid-sixties. Early practicioners included Michel Portal, Barney Wilen, Jean-Louis Chautemps, Henri Texier, Jean-François Jenny-Clark, Jacques Thollot, Aldo Romano.
Pianist François Tusques had a band around that time that included Bernard Vitet on trumpet, François Janneau and Portal on reeds, bass player Beb Guerin, etc...
The arrival in France of Cecil Taylor, Marion Brown, Sonny Murray, the Art Ensemble, Anthony Braxton, Leo Smith, Jeanne Lee, Steve McCall and others helped as stimulants to the French players.