Richard Bona was born in Cameroon and burst on the NYC scene in the mid 1990’s. He soon caught fame as ‘the second coming of Jaco Pastorius’. His first album Scenes from my life was released in 1999 while he was working as the music director of Harry Belafonte’s band. He toured across the globe as a member of the Mike Sterne band and as a guest artist on the albums of the world-famous Bobby McFerrin. Bona’s album Tiki was nominated for a Grammy award in 2007 in the ‘best world music album’ category. He has since earned numerous awards, including the Antonio Carlos Jobim award in Montreal. Only seven artists in history have received this award for their exceptional contribution to the development of jazz music.
Richard Bona is a complete music artists: seemingly light voice, excellent technique on the electric bass guitar, ability to compose and arrange music, and the ability to master any instrument by simply watching others play make him one of the most appreciated musicians of our time. First and foremost, however, Bona is one of the rare artists from Africa who reached international fame by travelling and transcending cultural differences. His music is a fusion of various genres: jazz, pop, bossa nova, Afrobeat, and funk, all packaged in a unique sound.
"The world is large and diverse and a reflection of different traditions mixed together. Without that,” says Bona, “the world would simply stop being ‘the world’.”
- Richard Bona, vocals, bass
- Ludwig Afonso, drums
- Ciro Manna, electric guitar
- Dennis Hernandez, trumpet
- Osmany Paredes, piano, keyboards
