Fifteenth Anniversary of Jazz Fest Sarajevo 2011 will be opened on the first of November in BKC by Richard Bona, extraordinary musician and captivating singer, and at the same time one of the most respected bass players of our time.
It is the artist who came from a small village in eastern Cameroon and reached Grammy nominations and the great concert stages around the world, sharing them with musical greats such as Salif Keita, Didier Lockwood, Mike Stern, Pat Metheny and Joe Zawinul. So in one sentence we could tell the story of an artist that would looks like a cliche – from complete anonymity to the great reputation. Today he lives in New York, where he works as a university professor and a musician.
Since 1999. , when he released his first album as a solo artist, has so far released seven studio and one live release. Through each of them Bona’s African roots are interweaved, his inclination towards master improvisation in jazz manner, the topicality of popular genres such as funk and pop, and openness to diverse cultures and musical traditions of our planet. He is at the same time also the narrator who, as he says, bears the responsibility to make this world a little nicer. And he succeeds in that for sure.
Bona’s current album The Ten Shades of Blues is a distinctive and personal story of the blues, its spirit through a sound vision of various local expressions – from Africa through India to America. Authentic compositions and interpretation introduce the listener into a magical world of stunning beauty.