At the first edition of the Curaçao North Sea Jazz Festival in 2010, bassist-vocalist Richard Bona had the audience wrapped around his finger. Although they could not understand his words (Bona sings in Douala, a Cameroonian dialect), his personality, the transparency of the songs and his hypnotic playing easily won the hearts of his listeners. He recently released the album The Ten Shades Of Blues, with music derived from the blues. This summer, he is touring Europe with Raul Midón. The blind guitarist-vocalist (born in New Mexico) is known for his dizzying percussive guitar playing in which he blends jazz and flamenco as a matter of course. His soulful voice is for many reminiscent of Stevie Wonder and he can use the mouth horn effectively in songs, with his lips imitating a bebop trumpet. Midón has not yet performed with a band in the Netherlands, so this collaboration promises to be something special.
