He works magic with his pleasingly high voice. But on bass guitar he proves himself to be a virtuoso as well. As a child the talented multi-instrumentalist Richard Bona from Cameroon was already obsessed by music. Growing up in a musical family - his grandpa was a famous percussionist/singer and his mother sang - the young Bona made his own instruments and taught himself how to play. He carved various flutes, built percussion instruments and even created a 12-string guitar from wood and bicycle brake cables. By way of music by Jaco Pastorius and Weather Report, Bona arrived at traditional jazz. Years later Bona would also tour with Joe Zawinul as a bass player, during the time that that artist was trying his luck in cities like Paris and New York. Subsequently he was, among other things, a band leader for Harry Belafonte, played with the Brecker Brothers, and scored a spot as a bass player in Buckshot Lefonque, Branford Marsalis' band. On his overwhelming solo debut Scenes from My Life from 1991 the musician has manifested his dreams and memories of Cameroon, singing in his mother tongue Douala about losing his father, a friend in prison and a child who loses his parents in the war. Two years later the follow-up Reverence was released.
