Jazz bassist
Richard Bona was born and raised in the West African nation of Cameroon, going on to session dates with
Joe Zawinul,
Regina Carter, and
Bob James as well as a two-year stint as musical director for the great
Harry Belafonte. He made his debut as a headliner in 1999 with
Scenes from My Life, and two years later
Reverence came out. In 2003,
Bona made his Verve debut with
Munia: The Tale, which explored the territories of rock and jazz while keeping his West African influences, and 2005's Toto Bona Lokua was a joint effort with
Lokua Kanza (from the Congo) and
Gerald Toto (from Martinique). In 2006,
Tiki, featuring guest artists like
John Legend and
Djavan, was released. ~ Jason Ankeny