Tonight, Tonight: Fred Hamilton Project at Dan's Silverleaf and Mike Freiley at Absinthe Lounge

After a pretty hectic Monday night, things slow down considerably this evening. Unless you're a big fan of jazz and/or acoustic pop.

Fred Hamilton Project at Dan's Silverleaf
Guitarist/bassist/composer/professor Fred Hamilton wears many hats extremely well. Not only does the guy teach music at the University of North Texas, but Hamilton also finds time to tour and even write articles for Guitar Player magazine. This evening's performance features Hamilton playing with Ed Soph, Jose Aponte and James Driscoll. A more talented improv jazz quartet one is not likely to find. And fans of the legendary Wes Montgomery will surely like Hamilton's playing, as the professor revels in the same mellow guitar grooves as Montgomery once did so brilliantly. Hamilton may be an academic, but his style is warm and inviting. His music is not some fast-paced showboating, but a relaxed and elegant experience.

Mike Freiley at Absinthe Lounge
Hailing from The Colony, local singer-songwriter Mike Freiley actually has to drive a bit to make it to this particular venue. Hopefully, a nice crowd will reward his travels as Freiley is a solid songwriter who works in a variety of genres. While a song like "Silver Lining" comes across like Loudon Wainwright, another one, "I Want Out," is a straight up R&B tune. But, when Freiley sticks to basic singer-songwriter fare, as he does on the outstanding "Was I Mistaken," he finds a style that he might want to pursue in detail.