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Jazz Articles about Richard Bona
Fusion Experience Quartet at Teatro Comunale in Caserta
by Pietro Previti
Richard Bona: Exploring Roots, Freedom, and Global Sounds
by Steven Roby
Richard Bona, the Grammy-winning bassist, composer, and multi-instrumentalist affectionately known as “The African Sting," brings his unparalleled artistry to Yoshi's in Oakland this January. With his Asante Trio--featuring Cuban pianist Jesus Pupo and drummer Ludwig Afonso--Bona promises an Afro-Cuban musical feast. But his Yoshi's performances are only the beginning of an exciting year, packed with a new single, a European tour, and his ongoing advocacy for independent artists. In this week's Backstage Bay Area podcast, host Steven Roby sat down ...
Continue ReadingMike Stern: Echoes and Other Songs
by Neil Duggan
Echoes and Other Songs is guitarist Mike Stern's first release since the loss of pianist, friend and confidante, Jim Beard in March, 2024. Beard, perhaps best known for his association with Steely Dan, appears here as pianist, keyboardist and producer. Stern is still on the long road to recovery following a fall in 2016 that broke both his arms and left him with nerve damage. He has adapted his technique and now uses a homegrown solution to hold his pick ...
Continue ReadingMike Stern: Echoes and Other Songs
by Doug Collette
With a running time of seventy-seven minutes plus, guitarist Mike Stern's Echoes and Other Songs is effectively a double album. And like most such expansive works--including classics like Bob Dylan's Blonde On Blonde (Columbia, 1966) and The Beatles (aka 'The White Album')(Apple, 1968)--it would benefit from consolidation of its best elements (as would a replacement of the amateurish cover design). Even so, this is still a deceptively ambitious piece of work. Of course, advanced thinking has virtually always ...
Continue ReadingRichard 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.
Continue ReadingPenang 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. ...
Continue ReadingBona Makes You Sweat: Ricard Bona at Le Bataclan, Paris
by David Miller
Richard BonaBataclanParis, FranceNovember 21, 2009“On 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 ...
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