In the “Art of Riga Jazz” autumn concert series on November 16 at the VEF Palace of Culture, world jazz stars Richard Bona and Alfredo Rodriguez will perform alongside drummer Michael Oliveira.
Cameroon-born American bassist, singer and multi-instrumentalist Richard Bona is one of those African musicians who masterfully blends his Native African musical traditions with European influences and American jazz. In collaboration with the musical director of projects of the famous producer Quincy Jones – Cuban pianist Alfredo Rodríguez – Bona’s acoustic palette has received new colors and vigor. These two men have discovered many affinities between Central African and Afro-Cuban music, so “it is a meeting of two generations in an ocean, the one in which the most passionate music of this world swims”. As a result, a new trio was formed together with Cuban drummer Michael Oliveira.
Richard Bona’s main instrument is the bass, which he turned to after getting to know the work of the legendary American bassist Jaco Pastorius.
Bona began her musical career outside her homeland in Germany and France, until she moved to New York in 1995, where she played with many big names in jazz and gradually became one of the stable values of American jazz. Fans call him “the African Sting”, critics call him a true professional, but it’s his unique and emotionally charged way of interacting with the audience that makes him known for who he really is: a true musician. “Richard Bona’s relaxed voice, extraordinary bass playing skills, unique writing and arranging skills, and the ability to learn almost any instrument just by looking at him position him as a rare African artist who has created a brilliant international reputation.” say Cameroonian concert organizers.
Alfredo Rodríguez, on the other hand, is a Cuban jazz luminary of a younger generation, who has already moved to the United States and has also become his in the musical circles of his homeland. Since the 2006 Montreux Jazz Festival, Quincy Jones has become his mentor, who has always been able to accurately predict which musicians they would like to meet musically, even if they themselves didn’t notice in advance. Not for nothing Richard Bona and Alfredo Rodríguez can be seen together in the Netflix documentary Quincy, which won the Grammy Award for Best Music Film. “Alfredo’s collaboration with the great Cameroonian bassist Richard Bon takes Cuban’s strengths – rhythmic precision and heart-to-mouth romance – in new and unexpected directions,” writes the Irish Times portal.
