RICHARD BONA & ALFREDO RODRIGUEZ TRIO

Sunday, July 21st – 9.30pm
Rocca Malatestiana, Piazzale Malatesta – Fano

Richard Bona, electric bass, vocals
Alfredo Rodríguez, piano
Michael Olivera, drums

Cuba and Africa are united by the inspiration of a prodigious pianist and an electric bass virtuoso. Alfredo Rodriguez and Richard Bona are known through their mutual mentor, Quincy Jones. After years of friendship, the duo entered the studio to work together on Rodriguez’s album, Tocororo, produced by Quincy Jones himself, creating two songs, “Raíces” (Roots) and “Ay, Mamá Inés”, which show how the their unique musical backgrounds can come together cohesively.

After meeting Quincy Jones at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 2006, Alfredo left Cuba and his family to emigrate to the United States to found his dream. Alfredo was educated in the rigorous classical conservatories of Havana: his art took as much from Bach and Stravinsky as from his Afro-Cuban roots and jazz. Over the past decade, Alfredo has gone from being a young local Cuban artist to a globally recognized Grammy Awards nominee.

Originally from a small town in Cameroon, Richard Bona has been fascinated by the great young American bassist Jaco Pastorius. Years later, Bona would become one of the most acclaimed bass players in the world and has dedicated his now thirty-year career to promoting peace, happiness and unity through his music.