REVERENCE

Richard Bona was born into a family of musicians, which enabled him to start learning music from a young age. His grandfather was a griot – a West African singer of praise and storyteller – and percussionist, and his mother was a singer. Originally from Cameroon he immigrated to Germany at the age of 22 to study music in Düsseldorf, soon relocating to France where he furthered his studies in music. Whilst in France he regularly played in various jazz clubs, sometimes with players such as Manu Dibango, Salif Keita, Jacques Higelin and Didier Lockwood. In 1995 Richard left France and established himself in New York, where he played bass guitar with artists like Joe Zawinul, Larry Coryell, Michael and Randy Brecker, Mike Stern, George Benson, Branford Marsalis, Chaka Khan, Bobby McFerrin, and Steve Gadd. Richard Bona remains true to his roots with African rhythms reflected in each of his albums; Reverence is the second studio album originally released in 2001 and displays his unique approach to storytelling through sounds. His unique style is situated at the crossroads of a horde of influences - jazz, bossa nova, pop music, afro-beat, traditional song, and funk. The song "Reverence (The Story of a Miracle)" features a guest appearance by prominent jazz guitarist Pat Metheny.