Reverence

Imagine an artist who sounds like a cross between the legendary jazz bassist Jaco Pastorius and an ancient African griot, and you'll get the exciting Richard Bona. Like the best world music artists, Bona combines native idioms with Western influences to create a personal and complex musical statement. On this recording, the Cameroon-born electric bassist, acoustic guitarist, and percussionist drapes his silky Douala-language vocals on 12 well-produced tracks. Guests include the Orchestra of St. Luke's, guitar legend Pat Metheny, and saxophonist Michael Brecker.

The tunes range from the sophisticated Pan-African syncopations of "Bisso Baba" and the Cuban-style cha-cha-cha beat on "Ekwa Mwato" to the Americana-tinged melody of the title track. Bona's falsetto voice and the impressionistic strings on "Laka Mba" make for a nice contrast, and the bassist brilliantly shows off his jazz skills on the fast and furious Weather Report-like fusion workout "Mbanga Kumba." If there's an all-world team of musicians, Richard Bona will definitely be on the first string. --Eugene Holley Jr.  more