1. Richard Bona was born on 28 October 1967 and is a Cameroon-born American multi-instrumentalist and singer.
12 Facts About Richard Bona
1. 2.
When he was four years old, Richard Bona started to play the balafon.
3.
Not being wealthy, Richard Bona made many of his own instruments: including flutes and guitars.
4.
Richard Bona's talent was quickly noticed, and he was often invited to perform at festivals and ceremonies.
5.
Richard Bona began learning to play the guitar at the age of 11, and in 1980, aged just 13, he assembled his first ensemble for a French jazz club in Douala.
6.
Richard Bona emigrated to Germany at the age of 22 to study music in Dusseldorf, soon relocating to France, where he furthered his studies in music.
7.
In 1995, Richard Bona left France and established himself in New York, where he still lives and works.
8.
In 1998, Richard Bona was the Musical Director on Harry Belafonte's European Tour.
9.
Richard Bona has been prominently featured in Jaco Pastorius Big Band albums, as well as many other albums by various top-tier jazz musicians.
10.
In 2002 Richard Bona went on a world tour with the Pat Metheny Group.
11.
Richard Bona held a professorship of jazz music at New York University.
12.
Richard Bona's music took on a distinctive Afro-Cuban flavor with the 2016 release of the Heritage album with Cuban band Mandekan Cubano.