Mike Freeman
Vibraphonist Composer Bandleader Recording Artist Producer Educator Arts Advocate
From Omaha to Chicago to Hell's Kitchen, NYC, Mike Freeman is the vibesman behind several notable groups and leader of ZonaVibe.
With spirited soulful swing rooted in Afro-Cuban clave, Freeman creates a distinct brand of mambo and salsa inspired jazz-Latin-blues. Dan McClaneghan of Allaboutjazz described him as "masterful" and ranked him among other top names of the instrument. His recordings of original music have received national and international attention with outstanding reviews, radio airplay charting on jazz, contemporary jazz, and World Music radio, and airing on nationally syndicated radio shows (Latin Perspective with Tony Vasquez, Jazz after Hours with Jim Wilke, The Jazz Show with David Sanborn, WOR radio network with Joey Reynolds, Music Choice, and United Airlines).
A Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Creative Engagement grant recipient, Freeman produced three concert series: Boricua Blues, Hell’s Kitchen Soul Sauce, and Latin Music in Hell’s Kitchen. Performances included guest legends Ray Mantilla and Jose Mangual Jr. at the Times Center, the Highline, Pier 84, and Riverbank State Park in NYC. He produced two Band Together benefit concerts: one for musicians affected by hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria with proceeds going to the Jazz Foundation of America and the other in response to Hurricane Katrina, benefitting the Tipitinas Foundation and New Orleans–area musicians.
Commissioned work includes a decade-long series of compositions and arrangements for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Percussion Scholarship Program. In 2014 he was commissioned by the late drummer/educator Ed Uribe to write arrangements for China's national percussion curriculum that were performed by members of the Shanghai Symphony at Shanghai Symphony Hall.
Performance highlights for Freeman as a leader include the White Plains Jazz Fest, NY; Fox Jazz Festival and Riverfront Jazz Festival in WI; the Trinidad & Tobago Steelpan & Jazz Festival; Festival Internacional, Terciera, Azores; Central Park’s Harlem Meer concert series in New York City; performing for Flood Relief in Des Moines, IA; Jazz on the Green in Omaha, NE; the Berks, Rehoboth Beach, Hennessy Greenwich Village, and JVC Newport (at Saratoga) jazz festivals; the International Association of Jazz Educators (IAJE) convention, and an extensive tour of Portugal, cosponsored by the Fulbright Foundation and the American Embassy (USIA), where he received the Medal of the City of Guarda.
Freeman is also known for his work and recordings with several acclaimed groups. The vibes behind the name, he worked extensively with legendary percussionist Ray Mantilla’s Good Vibrations Band (touring much of Italy). Good Vibrations, Savant Records, was Jazzweek's top Latinjazz recording on radio in 2006. Freeman is also featured on Ray’s final two recordings High Voltage, and Rebirth both on Savant. He was part of Lucho Cueto’s all-star group Black Sugar. Their recording Estamos Azucar led to blockbuster performances for thousands at the Toros Y Salsa Festival in Dax, France, and at the Festival Internacional de Salsa in Lima, Peru. For twenty years he's been a mainstay of Jose Mangual Jr.’s Son Boricua featuring the late Jimmy Sabater (an architect of Boogaloo) that performed for large gatherings at salsa congresses in New York, L.A., and Atlanta. His vibe work can also be heard with Mark Holen’s eclectic Latin blues band Zambomba. In the 1990s he created the book for, and performed with, Jorge Jimenez’s salsa group Timba Vibes. This was followed by a twenty-year association with salsa singer Julio Salgado, culminating with the recording Mis Pasos. He performed with the Spanish Harlem Orchestra (directed by Oscar Hernandez) at Madison Square Garden and with Willie Villegas's Joe Cuba Sextet for New Jersey's salsa congress, both with legendary sonero Cheo Feliciano.
Mike Freeman ZonaVibe
“Swinging sounds that are reminiscent of vintage Cal Tjader sessions… irresistible grooves. Oye!”
Jazz Weekly –George Harris
“Latin jazz doesn't get any better than this”
–Mark Sullivan, Allaboutjazz
“…Freeman is wildly talented on the vibraphone”
–Mike Greenblatt Classicalite
For more information visit jazzvibe.com
Chicago’s Jim Gailloreto appears on three of Freeman’s recordings and will join him for these performances. The two met while at DePaul University and have been longtime musical associates.
Rooted in modern post-bop, Jim Gailloreto has been active on the Chicago jazz and creative music scene since the 1980s. A prolific composer and arranger he has eight recordings as a leader to his credit with three instrumentally diverse groups, Jazzformation, the Jazz String Quintet, and the Metropolitan Jazz Octet. The MJO is a group started by Tom Hilliard who taught both Freeman and Gailloreto at DePaul. Toward the end of his life Hilliard handed the MJO’s book over to Gailloreto who carried the torch forward and expanded the repertoire. Freeman is a part of the MJO’s latest recording The Bowie Project.
Chameleon-like as a player, Gailloreto is equally at home performing jazz, blues, fusion, funk, classical, and Latin. He's performed and recorded for singers Patricia Barber and Kurt Elling on Blue Note Records and performed the Chicago premier of Marc Anthony Turnage's Scorched with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and John Scofield. Gailloreto has performed five times at the Chicago Jazz Festival with various ensembles. He's a recipient of the New Works: Creation & Presentation Program Grant from Chamber Music America and was recognized in Jazziz magazine's Woodwinds on Fire jazz select disc.
Freddy Quintero - Bass
Congas, and Drums - TBA
