Album Review of
Venetian Blinds

Written by Joe Ross
April 10, 2019 - 12:00am EDT
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Vibraphonist Mike Freeman is an adventurous stylist who presents intriguing music. We also know who some of his inspirations are. Four tracks were written for Tito Puente, and three reach for the hard bop, pop-bop and avant-garde sounds of Bobby Hutcherson. The remaining tunes were inspired by Freeman’s son or daughter. Freeman is joined by Guido Gonzalez (trumpet, coro), Ian Stewart (bass), Roberto Quintero (congas, guiro, shakere) and Joel Mateo (drums, campana). Zonavibe’s versatility, imagination and spirit make this a striking set. For a sampling of their music, I’d recommend the title track “Those Venetian Blinds,” “House of Vibes” and “Fancy Free.”  (Joe Ross, Roots Music Report)