Jazz Palma Festival 2024 brings us the duo formed by Cuban composer and pianist Alfredo Rodríguez and Cameroonian singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Richard Bona.
Alfredo Rodríguez and Richard Bona first learned of each other's talent through their shared mentor, Quincy Jones. After years of friendship, the duo entered the studio to work on Rodríguez's album, Tocororo, produced by Quincy Jones. On the album, they released two songs together, Arrels (Roots) and Ay, Mamá Inés, which showcase how their unique musical backgrounds can coherently come together to produce inspiring sounds.
After meeting Quincy Jones at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 2006, Alfredo emigrated to the United States to pursue his dream. His impressive artistry is influenced by both Bach and Stravinsky as well as his Afro-Cuban and jazz roots. In the past decade, he has gone from a young local Cuban artist to a world-renowned Grammy nominee.
Hailing from a small town in Cameroon, Richard Bona became fascinated with the great American bassist Jaco Pastorius at a very young age. Pastorius inspired him to take up the instrument, and years later, Bona would go on to become one of the most acclaimed bassists in the world. After winning his first Grammy in 2002, his fourth studio album, Tiki, was nominated for Best Contemporary World Music Album at the 49th Grammy Awards.
He has dedicated his 30-plus year career to promoting peace, happiness, and unity through his music, and is currently fulfilling his mission to tour every country in the world. They can now be seen together in the Grammy-winning Netflix documentary Quincy.
