Richard Bona & Alfredo Rodriguez in Katowice

Richard Bona is a Cameroonian bassist, singer and composer, born in Minta in 1967. He plays jazz shaped by Cameroonian rhythms, funk and Afro-Cuban music, and is known for his agile electric-bass work and vocals. His solo catalogue includes Scenes from My Life, Reverence, Munia, Tiki and Heritage. Richard Bona toured as a member of the Pat Metheny Group around Speaking of Now, and that lineup was captured in the concert film Speaking of Now Live. He later documented his own band on Bona Makes You Sweat: Live, then toured Heritage with the Afro-Cuban ensemble Mandekan Cubano.

Alfredo Rodriguez is a Cuban pianist and composer, born in Havana in 1985, who plays jazz rooted in Afro-Cuban rhythm and melody. His best-known recordings include Sounds of Space, The Invasion Parade, Tocororo and Duologue, a collaboration with percussionist and vocalist Pedrito Martinez. At the 2006 Montreux Jazz Festival, Alfredo Rodriguez met Quincy Jones, who became his mentor and producer. He later toured as a piano-and-percussion duo with Pedrito Martinez, and the partnership was documented in a performance for NPR’s Tiny Desk.