About

Mike Freeman

From Omaha, to Chicago, to Hell's Kitchen New York City, 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 infused jazz. Eight recordings as a leader feature seventy of his original compositions. Circles In A Yellow Room, 2025, was on Jazzweek's Radio chart for 23 weeks, nine weeks in the top 10, peaking at #4.

Freeman is a Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Creative Engagement Grant Recipient for Ninth Avenue Nights, Hell's Kitchen Vibe-Centric, Boricua Blues, Hell's Kitchen Soul Sauce, and Latin Music In Hell’s Kitchen.

His series of concerts highlighted the bygone era of Latin music record distributors in his Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan, the tradition of vibraphone in Latin music, tributes to the music of high profile groups Freeman has been a part of for three decades, and his own original music born from that tradition.