RICHARD BONA TRIO

Hailing all the way from Cameroon, this vocalist and bassist is one of the greatest exponents of Afro-funk and jazz-funk. He will be performing in a trio at this edition of Villains of Jazz. His music is an ode to the traditions and also to the shortcomings that have affected his country for centuries, but always with a musical vision that transcends frontiers. The complex harmonies of jazz and the polyrhythms of the African tradition go hand in hand in a discography and live performances in which his electric bass, played under the influence of Jaco Pastorius, is one of his calling cards. An admirer of Miles Davis, Chet Baker and Ben Webster, and spurred on early in his career by Joe Zawinul and Quincy Jones, Richard Bona has an enviable résumé: he has worked with Chick Corea, Michael Brecker and Branford Marsalis, and has released more than a dozen albums over the past two decades.

The old saying goes that great minds think alike. And that the sum of talent is always greater than the sum of its parts. And so on and so forth. It’s not always true, but in the case of Richard Bona and Alfredo Rodríguez we can say that it is. At least with them it is. Both are masters of their craft, and together they form a combination that borders on sheer excellence. The former, as a virtuoso bassist, singer and multi-instrumentalist who knows how to fuse jazz with many other genres. The latter, as a great jazz pianist with an open mind. We have Quincy Jones to thank for having the brilliant idea all those years ago of bringing them together in the Global Jumbo All-Stars, because the Cameroonian and the Cuban form an electrifying tandem, a paragon of rhythm, sensuality and instrumental expertise that is worth seeing on any stage, and that knows no geographical or stylistic boundaries. Only enormous talent.