page_title: Richard Bona
section_title: Career
hierarchical_section_title: Richard Bona / Career
caption_attribution_description: Русский: Richard Bona на сцене концертного зала "Фестивальный" в рамках фестиваля "Акваджаз" в Сочи
context_page_description: Richard Bona is a Cameroon-born American bass player.
context_section_description: Bona emigrated to Germany at the age of 22 to study music in Düsseldorf, soon relocating to France, where he furthered his studies in music.
  While 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, Bona left France and established himself in New York, where he still lives and works. In New York he played bass guitar with artists including Joe Zawinul, Larry Coryell, Michael and Randy Brecker, Mike Stern, George Benson, Branford Marsalis, Chaka Khan, Bobby McFerrin, and Steve Gadd.
  In 1998, Bona was the Musical Director on Harry Belafonte's European Tour.
  His debut solo album, Scenes from My Life, was released in 1999. He has also been prominently featured in Jaco Pastorius Big Band albums, as well as many other albums by various top-tier jazz musicians.
  In 2002 Bona went on a world tour with the Pat Metheny Group. The release of the successful Speaking of Now album that year had marked a profound change in the group's direction by adding younger musicians to the band, notably with Bona as bassist, vocalist, guitarist and percussionist, along with drummer Antonio Sánchez and trumpet player Cuong Vu.
  In 2005 Bona released his fourth solo album Tiki, which included a collaboration with John Legend on one track, entitled "Please Don't Stop." The album was nominated for Best Contemporary World Music Album at the 49th Grammy Awards.
  He held a professorship of jazz music at New York University.
  In 2015, with restaurateur Laurent D'antonio, he opened Club Bonafide.
  Richard Bona's music took on a distinctive Afro-Cuban flavor with the 2016 release of the Heritage album with Cuban band Mandekan Cubano. The album was released under Quincy Jones' Qwest label.
caption: Bona performing at Sochi Jazz Festival in Russia, August 2016
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