Biography
Musician - composer - band leader - recording artist - arranger - educator - producer
Mike Freeman ZonaVibe brings together a heady blend of musical elements in an original and highly engaging ensemble. The vibesman behind many notable musicians and groups, Mike emerges from the tradition forged by Cal Tjader, Tito Puente, and the groups of Joe Cuba that placed the vibraphone at the heart of Latin music. His many years of playing in several of New York’s hottest salsa groups and natural affinity for Caribbean, African, and Brazilian rhythms combined with strong writing skills, a thoroughly developed jazz background, and dynamic performing style underscore the performances of ZonaVibe.
Traveling to
the Caribbean, ZonaVibe and Vibe Caliente (Mike's
salsa group) gave fiery and enthusiastically received
performances at the Trinidad & Tobago Steelpan and Jazz
Festival. ZonaVibe performed at the Festival Internacional
on the island of Terceira in the Azores and was part of
Central Park’s Harlem Meer concert series in New York City.
Several First Night celebrations include Vibe Caliente in
Binghamton, NY, 2008, with ZonaVibe bringing in 2009, in
Westport, CT. Other past performances for Mike as a leader
include: the Flood Relief Concert in Des Moines, Iowa;
opening for Stan Getz in Boston; performing to a huge
hometown audience at the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha, NE;
the Berks, Rehoboth Beach, Hennessy Greenwich Village, and
JVC Newport jazz festivals as well as an extensive tour of
Portugal, cosponsored by the Fulbright Foundation and the
American Embassy.
Mike received the medal of the city of Guarde, Portugal
His recordings of
original music have gained national and international
attention and extensive airplay charting on jazz,
contemporary jazz, and World music radio. From the start,
the music Mike wrote and performed ranged from jazz,
Latinjazz, Brazilian, fusion, and R&B. Mike Freeman
& Spellbound’s 1985 self-titled debut recording was
followed by the highly successful “Street Shuffle” with
Jeff Jenkins, Dave Stryker, Kip Reed, and Graham Hawthorne
(now with Paul Simon). His next recording “Wiggle Stomp”
reflects a deeper immersion in the Latin scene that began
in the mid 1990’s. With his lastest CD “In the Zone”, Mike
takes that exploration to yet another level. He displays
the considerable range of his marimba playing—along with
the vibraphone—and his artistry and knowledge of bringing
salsa forms into a jazz context.
In addition
to leading his own groups, Mike performs and records
with: Lucho Cueto’s all-star group Black Sugar, which has
given blockbuster performances for many thousands of
frenzied fans at the Toros y Salsa Festival in Dax, France,
and at the Festival Internacion de Salsa in Lima, Peru;
acclaimed percussionist Ray Mantilla’s Good Vibrations Band
(with Edy Martinez) that has toured Italy far and wide.
"Good Vibrations" on Savant records was Jazzweek's top
Latinjazz recording on radio, 2006; salsa singer Julio
Salgado (from the Conga Kings, George Delgado, and
Charansalsa); Son Boricua with Jose Mangual Jr. and Jimmy
Sabater; and Mark Holen’s eclectic Latin blues band
Zambomba. Mike also performed on the Latin Legends concert
at Aaron Davis Hall with the Harbor Conservatory Latin
Band, directed by Louis Bauzó, and with the Spanish Harlem
Orchestra, directed by Oscar Hernandez, and legendary
sonero Cheo Feliciano at Madison Square Garden.
Recording/concert
producing credits include: Band Together, a
Hurricane Katrina Benefit Concert at Manhattan Plaza
featuring the R&B of Bobby Harden and Chris Carter, the
jazz of David Schnitter’s quartet, the solo piano of Amina
Claudine Myers, and Mike’s own Latinjazz group with Ray
Mantilla. Proceeds went to Tipitinas Foundation for New
Orleans–area musicians and the Humane Society; Mark Holen
Zambomba, “Three Gold Coins”; and a production in progress
with Julio Salgado.
Master
classes and arranging: New York University and the
Berklee College of Music, among others, have hosted Mike as
a guest artist/clinician. His music arranged for big band
has been a successful component of his performances with
jazz department ensembles. Mike created the book for Jorge
Jimenez’s group Timba Vibes and wrote a series (spanning
several years) of commissioned compositions and
arrangements for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s
Percussion Scholarship Program.
Music in the
family: Mike’s grandfather was a drummer and leader
of Ron Freeman and the Melody Masters, a popular band that
was heard on the radio in the Midwest. Neal Hefti played in
his band before becoming famous in California. Mike’s
paternal grandmother sang and played the organ and marimba.
His maternal grandmother was a talented piano player in her
youth. Mike’s father, Harry Freeman, worked his way through
college playing the saxophone.
Joslyn Art Museum Omaha, NE
Born and
raised in Omaha, Nebraska, Mike Freeman began
playing professionally at the age of thirteen. He started
learning drums at five and became interested in jazz music
by listening to drummers Max Roach and Buddy Rich. He
played in local rock bands and a big band called
Resurrected Swing that’s still in existence today. At
twelve, he began playing the vibraphone, and by fifteen, he
was a percussionist for the Omaha Symphony. He also gave
lessons at the local music store. During his last year of
high school, he began traveling to Chicago to study with
renowned percussionist and veteran studio musician Bobby
Christian. Just before entering the School of Music at
DePaul University in Chicago, Mike started to concentrate
on the vibraphone and composition. In college, he began
leading his own groups, performing at clubs, both in
Chicago and Omaha, and working as a side musician. At
DePaul, he studied with jazz pianist Alan Swain and
saxophonist Tom Hilliard, and received a Bachelor of Music
(composition) with high honors in 1981. In New York, where
he’s lived and worked since 1981, Mike studied with
composer/arranger Hale Rood, who wrote for Louie Bellson,
and attended the BMI composers workshop.
“Serendipity — The idea
of controlled accidents is an important part of all music,
especially improvised music. This ability to let things
that were unplanned happen, given a certain compositional
framework, yet still have control over what you’re doing,
is what keeps music fresh. This idea of controlled
accidents reminds me of the sense of surprise that is
possible, and that I look for, every time I play or create
a piece of music.” — Mike Freeman
— 2009 —
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