Mike Freeman is an American jazz vibraphonist and composer from

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

based in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Hell's Kitchen Hell's Kitchen, also known as Clinton, is a neighborhood on the West Side of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is considered to be bordered by 34th Street (or 41st Street) to the south, 59th Street to the north, Eighth Avenue to the eas ...

neighborhood of

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

since 1981.

Early life and education

Freeman started learning drums at age six and began playing professionally at age thirteen. At twelve, he began playing the vibraphone, and by fifteen, he was a percussionist for the

Omaha Symphony Orchestra The Omaha Symphony is a professional orchestra performing more than 200 concerts and presentations annually in Omaha, Nebraska and throughout the orchestra's home region. The orchestra was established in 1921. It is considered a major American orc ...

under conductor Thomas Briccetti. During his last year of high school, he began traveling to Chicago to study with renowned percussionist and veteran studio musician Bobby Christian. He graduated from

DePaul University DePaul University is a private university, private, Catholic higher education, Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Congregation of the Mission, Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th-centu ...

with a Bachelor of Music composition in 1981. In New York, he studied with composer and arranger Hale Rood.

Career

Freeman has performed in North America, Europe, the Azores, Caribbean, and South America. In 1985, he did an extensive tour of Portugal, sponsored by the American Embassy and the Fulbright Foundation. The tour was arranged by Rui Martins, director of the

Hot Club of Portugal The Hot Club of Portugal (Hot Clube de Portugal) is the oldest jazz club in Portugal and has uninterruptedly developed its activity since 1948. It occupies a cellar in Praça da Alegria (Square of Joy) in Lisbon. With an almost daily concert ...

, and

USIA Usia is a village in Kamsaar, Uttar Pradesh, India. It lies southeast of Ghazipur and east of Dildarnagar, close to the Bihar State border.USIA is a historical village of ghazipur as well as uttar pradesh, it was founded by 1. Barbal khan 2. ...

Cultural Affairs Officer Wally Keiderling. He performed in areas of the country rarely visited by American musicians and not previously visited by a vibraphone player. In Guarda, Portugal, he received the medal of the city. His seven recordings of original music gained national and international attention and extensive radio airplay, charting on jazz, contemporary jazz, and world music radio as well as airing on syndicated radio programs. A three time Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Creative Engagement grant recipient, Freeman produced Latin Music in Hell's Kitchen, A History 2019, Hell's Kitchen Soul Sauce 2021, and Boricua Blues 2022. At

Manhattan Plaza Manhattan Plaza is a large federally subsidized residential complex of 46 floors and at 400 and 484 West 43rd Street in midtown Manhattan, New York City. Opened in 1977, it has 1,689 units and about 3,500 tenants. 70% of the tenants are from ...

he produced and organized benefit concerts for musicians affected by devastating hurricanes. He wrote a series, spanning more than a decade, of commissioned compositions and arrangements for the

Chicago Symphony Orchestra The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) was founded by Theodore Thomas in 1891. The ensemble makes its home at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and plays a summer season at the Ravinia Festival. The music director is Riccardo Muti, who began his tenure ...

's Percussion Scholarship Program and in 2014 was commissioned by drummer and educator Ed Uribe to write arrangements for China's national percussion curriculum that were performed by members of the

Shanghai Symphony Orchestra The Shanghai Symphony Orchestra () is a symphony orchestra in Shanghai, China. Its music director is Yu Long. Founded in 1879, the SSO is the oldest Chinese symphony orchestra. Originally, it was known as the Shanghai Public Band, expanding in 1 ...

at the Shanghai Symphony Hall. Freeman is also known for performing and recording with several acclaimed Latin groups including percussionist

Ray Mantilla Raymond Mantilla (June 22, 1934 – March 21, 2020) was an American percussionist. Discography As leader * ''Mantilla'' (Inner City, 1978) * ''Hands of Fire'' (Red, 1984) * ''Synergy'' (Red, 1986) * ''Dark Powers'' (Red, 1988) * ''The Next Step ...

from 2002 until Mantilla's passing in 2020. ''Good Vibrations'' on

Savant Records HighNote Records is a jazz record company and label founded by Joe Fields with his son, Barney Fields, in 1997. Joe Fields worked for Prestige Records in the 1960s, and in the 1970s founded Muse Records. After he sold Muse, he started the Highn ...

was Jazzweek's top Latinjazz recording on radio in 2006. He performed and recorded with Jose Mangual Jr's Son Boricua featuring Jimmy Sabater (one of the architects of

Boogaloo Boogaloo or bugalú (also: shing-a-ling, Latin boogaloo, Latin R&B) is a genre of Latin music and dance which was popular in the United States in the 1960s. Boogaloo originated in New York City mainly among teenage African Americans and Latinos ...

) from 2003 to present, with Julio Salgado from 2000 to present and with Lucho Cueto's all-star group Black Sugar. He also performed with the

Spanish Harlem Orchestra Spanish Harlem Orchestra is a Latin dance music orchestra based in the United States, founded by Aaron Levinson and Oscar Hernandez. Their debut album was released in October 2002. The orchestra often tours worldwide. Discography ''Un Gran D ...

(directed by Oscar Hernandez) at

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...

and with Willie Villegas's

Joe Cuba Joe Cuba (April 22, 1931 – February 15, 2009), was an American conga drummer of Puerto Rican descent widely regarded as the "Father of Latin Boogaloo". Early years Joe Cuba (birth name: Gilberto Miguel Calderón) was born in Harlem, New York ...

Sextet both with legendary sonero

Cheo Feliciano Cheo Feliciano (3 July 1935 – 17 April 2014) was a Puerto Rican people, Puerto Rican Singing, singer and composer of Salsa music, salsa and bolero music. Feliciano was the owner of a recording company called "Coche Records". He was the first t ...

Discography

As leader

* Mike Freeman ZonaVibe ''Venetian Blinds'', VOF, 2018 * Mike Freeman ZonaVibe ''Blue Tjade'', VOF, (Dec.) 2015 * Mike Freeman ZonaVibe ''The Vibesman'', VOF, 2012 * Mike Freeman ZonaVibe ''In The Zone'', VOF, 2007 * Mike Freeman ''Wiggle Stomp'', VOF, 2000 * Mike Freeman & Spellbound ''Street Shuffle'', Best Recordings, 1991 * ''Mike Freeman & Spellbound'', 1985

As featured side musician

* Metropolitan Jazz Octet ''The Bowie Project'', 2023, Origin Records * Julio Salgado ''Mis Pasos'', Tropique Recordings, 2021 *

''Rebirth'', Savant Records, 2020 *

''High Voltage'', Savant Records, 2017 * Luis Blasini ''All Natural'', 2014 * William Mendoza Latin Heartbeat Orchestra ''El Regreso'', 2014 * Los Hermanos Mangual ''Sabor y Swing'', 2012 * Manny Padilla & Baya Allstars ''Para Mi Madre'', 2011 * Mark Holen Zambomba ''Three Gold Coins'', 2009 * Lucho Cueto's, Black Sugar ''Estamos Azucar'', Latin Sound Records, 2007 *

''Good Vibrations'', Savant Records, 2006 * Son Boricua ''Fabuloso 70's'', Cobo Music, 2004 * Mark Holen Zambomba ''Stretching The Truth'', 1997 * Damon Short ''Worry Later'' The Music of Monk, 1981

As session musician

* Kirsten Thien, ''Delicious'', Screen Door Records, 2010 * Capathia Jenkins & Lou Rosen, ''South Side Stories'', Rosecap Productions, 2006 * Stephanie Pope, ''Now's the Time to Fall in Love'', Jerome Records, 2001 * The Manhattan Transfer, ''Swing'', Atlantic records, 1997 * Don Sebesky, Foxwoods TV commercial, ''The Wonder of it All'', featuring John Pizzarelli Jr., 1999 * ''As You Like It'', Shakespeare Theater, Washington D.C., 1997 * ''Peer Gynt'', Shakespeare Theater, Washington D.C., 1998 * ''Northeast Local'', Lincoln Center Mitzi Newhouse Theater, NYC, 1996 * ''Titus Andronicus'', Shakespeare-in-the-Park, NYC, 1989

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Freeman, Mike 1959 births Living people American jazz composers American male jazz composers American jazz vibraphonists DePaul University alumni Musicians from Omaha, Nebraska Jazz musicians from Nebraska