Richard Bona Joins the Markbass Family

Richard Bona Joins the Markbass Family…  Bassist Richard Bona has joined the Markbass roster of endorsing artists.

Bona is one of the world’s best bassist, and an absolute master with a distinctive and unique style, a mix of  jazz, afro-beat, bossa nova, pop music, and funk.

“I searched it, and I found it. It’s my sound and tone”, says Richard, “In the end it ALL come down to BASS Sound. It’s ALL in Markbass!”

As we stumble toward a new era, words like international and universal have begun to seem quaint, yet we are still daunted by our constantly expanding horizons. We need help to embrace our rapidly unfolding history and move forward. We need artists like Richard Bona to sing us funny and serious songs about human nature, about the big, surprising world and the familiar places we call home.

Throughout the 1990s Richard Bona would be hired to fill the legendary bass player’s shoes in Joe Zawinul’s band, and his musicianship and virtuosity quickly became urban legend in Paris and New York.

Bona played with Afropop stars Manu Dibango and Salif Keita. He toured and recorded with Pat Metheny, Joe Zawinul, Didier Lockwood, Harry Belafonte, Quincy Jones, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Steve Gadd, Michael Brecker, Randy Brecker, Chaka Khan, Jacques Higelin, Shankar Mahadevan, Tito Puente, Chucho Valdès, Mike Stern, Larry Coryell, David Sanborn, Kenny Garrett, Joe Sample, Harry Connick Jr., Raul Midon, Billy Cobham, Queen Latifah, Branford Marsalis, Bobby McFerrin, and Sadao Watanabe.

Richard has released seven acclaimed albums — Scenes From My Life (Columbia, 1999), Kaze Ga Kureta Melody (Sony, 2000), Reverence (Columbia Europe, 2001), Munia: The Tale (Verve 2003), Kiki (Decca, 2006), Bona Makes You Sweat (Decca, 2010), and The Ten Shades of Blues (Decca, 2010) – establishing himself as a singer-songwriter with a singular voice. His Afro-Caribbean project Toto Bona Lokua (w/Gerald Toto and Kanza Lokua, Sunnyside, 2005) and his Afro-Cuban project Mandekan Cubano weave together disparate roots, alchemizing ancient traditions into surprising new forms.

His next album, “Bonafied,” is scheduled for February 2013 release.

Markbass is proud to welcome Richard to the family!