Scenes from My Life

Last updated
Scenes from My Life
Richard Bona Scenes from My Life.jpg
Studio album by Richard Bona
Released July 20, 1999
Recorded November 1998–January 1999
Genre Ethno jazz, world fusion
Length52:34
Label Columbia Jazz
Richard Bona chronology
Scenes from My Life
(1999)
Reverence
(2001) Reverence2001
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [1]

Scenes from My Life is the debut studio album by Cameroonian jazz bassist and musician Richard Bona. It was released on July 20, 1999 through Columbia Jazz. [2]

Cameroon republic in West Africa

Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the Bight of Biafra, part of the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean. Although Cameroon is not an ECOWAS member state, it geographically and historically is in West Africa with the Southern Cameroons which now form her Northwest and Southwest Regions having a strong West African history. The country is sometimes identified as West African and other times as Central African due to its strategic position at the crossroads between West and Central Africa.

Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, United States, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and developed from roots in blues and ragtime. Jazz is seen by many as "America's classical music". Since the 1920s Jazz Age, jazz has become recognized as a major form of musical expression. It then emerged in the form of independent traditional and popular musical styles, all linked by the common bonds of African-American and European-American musical parentage with a performance orientation. Jazz is characterized by swing and blue notes, call and response vocals, polyrhythms and improvisation. Jazz has roots in West African cultural and musical expression, and in African-American music traditions including blues and ragtime, as well as European military band music. Intellectuals around the world have hailed jazz as "one of America's original art forms".

Bassist musician who plays a bass instrument

A bassist or bass player, is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments. Since the 1960s, the electric bass has been the standard bass instrument for funk, R&B, soul music, rock and roll, reggae, jazz fusion, heavy metal, country and pop music. The double bass is the standard bass instrument for classical music, bluegrass, rockabilly, and most genres of jazz. Low brass instruments such as the tuba or sousaphone are the standard bass instrument in Dixieland and New Orleans-style jazz bands.

Track listing

All tracks written by Richard Bona, except where noted.

Richard Bona Cameroon-American jazz bassist and musician

Richard Bona is a Cameroonian Grammy Award-winning jazz bassist.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Dipita" 4:28
2."New Bell" 4:25
3."Souwedi Na Wengue"Frederic Favarel, Richard Bona3:35
4."Eyala"Pascal Danae, Richard Bona4:35
5."Djombwe" 5:30
6."Te Dikalo" 4:15
7."One Minute"Richard Bona, Sebastien Harr4:28
8."Muna Nyuwe" 3:35
9."Na Mala Nde" 4:21
10."Konda Djanea" 4:59
11."Eyando" 4:26
12."Messanga" 3:57

Related Research Articles

Dave Brubeck American jazz pianist and composer

David Warren Brubeck was an American jazz pianist and composer, considered one of the foremost exponents of cool jazz. He wrote a number of jazz standards, including "In Your Own Sweet Way" and "The Duke". Brubeck's style ranged from refined to bombastic, reflecting both his mother's attempts at classical training and his own improvisational skills. His music is known for employing unusual time signatures as well as superimposing contrasting rhythms, meters, and tonalities.

Tony Bennett American singer

Anthony Dominick Benedetto, known professionally as Tony Bennett, is an American singer of traditional pop standards, big band, show tunes, and jazz. He is also a painter, having created works under the name Anthony Benedetto that are on permanent public display in several institutions. He is the founder of the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in Astoria, Queens, New York.

<i>Jack Johnson</i> (album) 1971 album by Miles Davis

Jack Johnson is a studio album and soundtrack by American jazz trumpeter, composer, and bandleader Miles Davis. It was released on February 24, 1971, by Columbia Records.

<i>Speaking of Now</i> album by Pat Metheny Group

Speaking of Now is an album by the Pat Metheny Group, released in 2002 by Warner Bros. It marks the first appearances of Group members Antonio Sánchez, who replaced Paul Wertico on drums, and multi-instrumentalist Cuong Vu. A veteran of the avant-garde jazz scene and an admirer of both Pat Metheny and the Group, Vu was approached by the bandleader to join; Metheny had been very impressed with recordings of Vu's trumpet playing and vocal abilities.

Stevie Holland American jazz singer, cabaret performer and actress, lyricist

Stevie Holland is an American jazz singer, cabaret performer and actress, and lyricist.

<i>The Art of the Song</i> album by Charlie Haden

The Art of the Song is an album by American jazz bassist Charlie Haden and his Quartet West, released in 1999. It reached number ten on the Billboard Top Jazz Albums chart.

Maria Markesini is a Greek singer and jazz pianist who lives and works in the Netherlands. She has released two albums, her debut on Universal in 2007 and Kosmo in 2009, featuring Richard Bona and Bert van den Brink. She is currently working with Jazz Impuls.

Prospect Park is a Hollywood entertainment production company, founded in 2008 by Richard H. Frank, a former executive at the Walt Disney Television, and Jeff Kwatinetz, former CEO of the talent agency The Firm, Inc., and music manager Peter Katsis. Based in Century City, California, and embodies three distinct business units: music management, record label, and television production. On May 3, 2011, former ABC executive Josh Barry joined the company to lead the production company.

<i>Blue Gardenia</i> (album) album by Etta James

Blue Gardenia is a 2001 album by Etta James, released through the record label Private Music. It was produced by John Snyder, who had worked with James on five of her previous studio albums. Blue Gardenia contains thirteen jazz standards from the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. All of the standards were arranged by pianist Cedar Walton, with the exception of "Love Letters", which was arranged by Josh Sklair. Between November 2000 and February 2001, Snyder and Walton assembled musicians to record tracks while James was recovering from a flu; her vocals were added following her recovery. In addition to Walton, artists appearing on the album included Red Holloway on tenor saxophone and Dorothy Hawkins, James' mother, who provided vocals on the title track. Hawkins died in May 2002, less than a year after the album's release.

<i>Bonafied</i> album by Richard Bona

Bonafied is a studio album by Cameroonian jazz bassist and musician Richard Bona. It was released on 22 April 2013 through Universal Music.

<i>Toto Bona Lokua</i> album by Gerald Toto

Toto Bona Lokua is a studio album by French songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Gerald Toto, Cameroonian jazz musician Richard Bona, and Congolese singer-songwriter Lokua Kanza. It was released on April 20, 2004 through No Format!.

<i>Tiki</i> (album) album by Richard Bona

Tiki is the fourth solo studio album by Cameroonian jazz bassist and musician Richard Bona. It was released on October 2, 2005 through Universal Music France, and has charted in several countries.

<i>The Ten Shades of Blues</i> album by Richard Bona

The Ten Shades of Blues is the fifth solo studio album by Cameroonian jazz bassist and musician Richard Bona. It was released on October 19, 2009 through Universal Music Jazz France. The album has charted in France and the Netherlands.

<i>Reverence</i> (Richard Bona album) album by Richard Bona

Reverence is the second studio album by Cameroonian jazz bassist and musician Richard Bona. It was released on September 7, 2001 through Columbia Jazz. The song "Reverence " features guest appearance by prominent jazz guitarist Pat Metheny.

<i>Munia (The Tale)</i> album by Richard Bona

Munia is the third studio album by Cameroonian jazz bassist and musician Richard Bona. It was released on September 22, 2003 through Universal Music France.

<i>Bona Makes You Sweat</i> live album by Richard Bona

Bona Makes You Sweat is the first live album by Cameroonian jazz bassist and musician Richard Bona. It was recorded in A 38 club in Budapest, Hungary in 2007, and released on March 7, 2008 through Universal Music Jazz France. The album has charted in France.

<i>All Over the Place</i> (Mike Stern album) album by Mike Stern

All Over the Place is the fifteenth studio album by American jazz guitarist Mike Stern, released on June 19, 2012 through Heads Up International.

Elisabeth Kontomanou French singer

Elisabeth Kontomanou is a French jazz singer and composer who has lived in America and Sweden.

Edsel Gomez is a Puerto Rican jazz pianist. In 2007, he was nominated for a Grammy Award for the album Cubist Music. He arranged and directed Dee Dee Bridgewater's Grammy-winning recording Eleanora Fagan (1915-1959): To Billie with Love from Dee Dee Bridgewater. He has worked with Jack DeJohnette, Don Byron, Brian Lynch, and Eddie Palmieri.

References

  1. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Scenes from My Life - Richard Bona". AllMusic . Retrieved September 6, 2013.
  2. "Scenes from My Life by Richard Bona". iTunes . Retrieved September 6, 2013.