“I’m a griot. I was born surrounded by storytellers so that’s my way of keeping my roots,” said Richard Bona when Mshale spent time with him over a phone call recently. In the midst of his European tour—last week he and his trio were in Italy and Germany—having just landed in Paris, he continued, “I don’t even need to travel back to Africa, I was born into [my culture]. I communicate with the Universe. I keep telling my own African story.”
Bass-playing Bona and his band will take the Dakota’s stage on March 16th. It’ll be the second time he’s played there, his first time was an unquestionable hit. This time around, he’ll arrive knowing the Minnesota climate and its turmoil. “That broke my heart,” he said referencing ICE, “it turned me upside down.”
He likes to bring new music to his shows, but acknowledged that the fans request songs and he wants to honor their requests as well.
“It’s hard to manage that,” he said, “because I want to present something different, but they [his fans] say, you didn’t play my favorite song. The fans get attached to a certain song.”
Bona laughs at this fully intending on indulging his audience by playing the songs they have heard before and want to hear again.
“Most of them don’t understand the language, but it’s the melodies, the way we play them, that resonate with the audience. We take the song and elaborate more and more, trying to get it to a better place. We add momentum and listen to each other,” he said, while also admitting, “Sometimes we don’t even know where we’re going [with the music], but we let it flow.”
Bona’s compendium of music goes all the way back to his childhood in Cameroon. Over three decades later, he won his first Grammy in 2002. He has a wealth of material from jazz to AfroPop to Latin to Flamenco upon which to draw.
“We want to be extremely focused when we’re playing so that we can if not reach excellence, then at least touch it,” Bona said. In their quest to reach perfection, they’ll bring along their instruments such as guitars and a looper.
Bona has a pet name for this electronic device that records a riff or phrase and then immediately plays it back in a loop. “I will bring my Magic Voodoo Machine. People love it. It’s becoming a signature tool for me…what you gonna do? I’ll bring it. I’ll bring it,” he said chuckling.
Tickets for Richard Bona’s 7 pm show on March 16th at The Dakota can be purchased here.
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About Susan Budig
Susan is based in Minneapolis and reports on general assignments for Mshale with a focus on entertainment. In addition to reporting, she is also a writer, poet, teacher and coach.
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