“This is a real Afro Cuban band!”
So joked Camaroon-born bassist Richard Bona, who after serving with the likes of Mike Stern, Pat Metheny and Joe Zawinul, has created his own person sound through his trio with Cuban exports Jesus Pupo/p and Ludwig Afonso/dr. The threesome took the packed Moss Theatre on a musical and geographic journey that was as inspiring as it was celebrational
Bona’s electric bass, as well as his wide range of vocals have roots in both the horn of Africa and of Charlie Parker. Pieces like “Mantula Moto” mix deft bass lines around Pupo’s ivories ascending and descending in dynamics like the waves of the Indian Ocean, while Afonso’s high hat sizzled under the chiming piano table dance of the festive “Bilongo”. The threesome rollicke and ricocheted over the bluesy “Three Views of A Secret” before Pupo gave some impressionistic impressions to surround Bona’s reflective and longing voice and gave cries of hope on “Mut Esukudu” .
Mixing the jazz tradition with African exuberance, Bona took the band on a galloping read of “Another kind of ‘All Blues’ ” with the modal standard being taken in an 11 time signature, “but don’t try to count it” as Bona tongue in cheek warned. The fingers walked out the line with a hammering high hat that grooved like a V8 engine.
Bona then took the audience on a dream trip to the Sahel desert, as the pretty lullaby “Eyala” had the leaders voice waft through the melody like a late evening breeze, similar to his aria of “Alfonsina Y El Ma” that teamed Pupo’s romantic intro to lead into a delicate duet. Bona also took the turn of an African griot by mixing and looping his own voice as a supporting chorus of sounds that had the leader taking journeys from Take 6 to Giuseppe Verdi.
But before that enchanting finish, Bona wanted to make sure that everyone was going to leave the show in a celebratory mood in order to prepare for Sunday Worship (“You’re all going to church tomorrow, right?”). Snapping the bass strings, Bona started the hip and funky soul groove of “Tumba La Nyama” with the cadence of a sleek gazelle before popping the clutch and driving like a masserati up the Dolomites to a propulsive climax. Likewise, the infectious calypso of “Sen Sen Sen” had the leader turn into a choir master, as the audience took turns singing the joyful refrain”. Someone pass the plate!
As Bakery owner Ruth Price said during her introduction of the band in light of the horrendous drama caused by the local fires, “It’s wonderful to see people out again”. Bona and company made the a cause for gratitude of safety and celebration of the gift of life.
Upcoming shows presented by The Jazz Bakery include Miguel Atwood-Ferguson 01/24, Mike Wofford & Josh Nelson 02/15 and Edmar Castaneda 02/22