Jazz Articles about Richard Bona
About Richard Bona
Instrument: Bass, electric
Article Coverage | Calendar | Albums | Photos | Similar ArtistsRichard Bona: Heritage

by James Nadal
The roots of Afro-Cuban music can be traced to its primordial source in the West African Mandika Empire (Mali) of the 15th century. Heritage is a collaboration of Cameroonian bassist Richard Bona with the Mandekan Cubano ensemble in a musical exploration of two cultures with the common bond of Africa as a point of origin and influence. This venture revolves around familiar Cuban dance oriented, melodic structure, accented with Bona's dominant African traits, for an engaging tour de force.
read morePenang Island Jazz Festival 2014

by Ian Patterson
Penang Island Jazz Festival Bayview Beach Resort Malaysia December 4-7, 2014 It was business as usual at the Penang Island Jazz Festival 2014, following the tenth anniversary celebrations of the previous year. That milestone was no small feat for Festival Director Paul Augustin, business partner Chin Choo Yeun and their loyal team, in a region where jazz of all stripes--with the notable exception of smooth jazz--occupies the bottom rung of the popular music ladder. ...
read moreBona Makes You Sweat: Ricard Bona at Le Bataclan, Paris

by David Miller
Richard BonaBataclanParis, FranceNovember 21, 2009On va bien s'amuser ce soir." Those were Richard Bona's opening words at the Bataclan, and he and his band did not disappoint. Lots of fun was had by all in attendance. From a critical standpoint, however, one had to wonder if the music was really the focus of the evening. Bona is an absolute monster on the bass. Many in the jazz world are aware of his ...
read moreRichard Bona: The Ten Shades of Blues

by David Miller
Widely known in jazz circles for his virtuosity on the bass, relatively little attention has been paid to Richard Bona's solo career. Pity, as his solo records are generally excellent. Bona's records have a style that can only be referred to as world music. Generally, that term is misused, but Bona truly takes his influences from all over the world. Sure, he's Cameroonian, and his heritage plays a large role. But one can also hear overt references to jazz, bluegrass, ...
read moreRichard Bona: Scenes From My Life

by Paula Edelstein
Bassist/multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Richard Bona has debuted SCENES FROM MY LIFE for Columbia Jazz. The Cameroon, Africa native who is widely considered to be one of the world’s top bass players, and rightly so, has performed with such great musicians as Harry Belafonte, Joe Zawinul, Manu Dibango, Billy Cobham, The Brecker Brothers and Salif Keita. Singing in his native language of Douala, Richard Bona blends African music and jazz to reveal his remarkable talents as a vocalist and instrumentalist. He composed all ...
read more