In 1985 I was invited to tour Portugal. The tour was funded by the American Embassy (after receiving a recommended evaluation from the United States Information Agency) and the Fulbright Foundation. It was an extensive (5 week) tour that took me to every part of the country including remote areas where few American musicians had performed before and no vibraphonists had ever performed. I was honored with the red carpet treatment everywhere I went with dinners and receptions in my honor and I received the Medal of the City of Guarde.



It was during that tour I wrote the tune Praça da Algeria and got the idea to write more music like it for a group that would be called Spellbound which I formed upon my return and which produced two recordings ("Mike Freeman & Spellbound" and Mike Freeman & Spellbound "Street Shuffle") about 5 years apart.