Richard Bona Quartet@The Jazz Bakery 10.31.08
By George W. Harris

On this drizzly Halloween evening, bassist Richard Bona came in town and lived up to the title of his recent live disc, “Bona Makes You Sweat.” By the end of the thrill packed evening, both audience and musicians were worked up into a frenzy by the judicious combination of deep driven grooves, ethereal harmonies and chops chops chops to burn. Adroitly supported by Adam Stoller/b, Ernesto Simpson/dr and A.T.N. Stadwijk/keys, Bona started the band in warp drive with the infectiously punctuated rhythms of “Eningilate” and “Te Dikalo”. The mix of calypso, reggae, salsa and blues snapped, and popped to Bona’s multi-hued bass sounds. The gentle “Suining” mixed Stadwijk’s luminescent keyboards, Stoller’s ethereal acoustic guitar, and Bona’s rich voice into a mix of lilting African folk blues and American lullabye. Fittingly closing the set with funkified shuffle of Jaco Pastorius’ “Liberty City”, Bona had the audience reeling in delight with his bass solo that went from “Birdland’ the Ellington’s “Rockin’ in Rhythm” in nanoseconds. The band snapped and crackled like a wildfire, and gave off almost as much heat. For this day that also commemorates the beginning of the Protestant Reformation, Bona gave the audience a Treat without any Tricks.