Jazz al Donizetti

Thirteen years after his last appearance at Bergamo Jazz, the man who has given the accordion an unprecedented unique expressive vitality returns to the stage of the Donizetti Theatre thanks to the extraordinary blend of new musette and new tango of which he has become the authoritative composer and performer. “Jazz, musette, tango feed on the same ingredients: the relationship with dance, strong melodies, precise and sophisticated harmonies. Along with Adrian Moigan and Diego Imbert, I interact with all of this, playing each concert in a totally free way, sometimes straying far from the score but never from the composer’s soul”, explains the Transalpine musician.

Instrumental virtuosity à la Jaco Pastorious, vocal fluidity à la George Benson, a sense of the song and harmony à la Joao Gilberto, all mixed with the African culture. The result of this highly original combination can be one and one alone: Richard Bona. Born in Cameroon, child of art and descendant of a griot, Richard Bona landed in New York in the mid-90s, after intermediate stopovers in Germany and Paris. And so began the high-profile collaborations with Harry Belafonte, the Jaco Pastorius Big Band, Mike Manieri’s Steps Ahead, Joe Zawinul, Pat Metheny, George Benson, Mike Stern, Branford Marsalis, Bobby McFerrin, Chaka Khan, Michael and Randy Brecker and so on. Throughout all this, Richard Bona has never severed the link with his roots: in the numerous albums he has recorded as a leader, a natural inclination towards storytelling through sound is discernible, which also translates into taking a stance on social issues, defending oppressed peoples.