What do Chaka Kahn, Bobby McFerrin, and Harry Belafonte have in common?

While their respective genres of R&B/soul, jazz, and Afro-Caribbean share influences, these artists also share musical collaboration with Grammy-winning multi-instrumentalist and singer, Richard Bona, who will perform at Vashon Center for the Arts (VCA) on Saturday night.

To be fair, Kahn, McFerrin and Belafonte are not alone: Bona has toured, composed, recorded, and created music with the other greats including Herbie Hancock, Quincy Jones, Chick Corea, Buena Vista Social Club, Cesária Évora, Sting, Mike Stern, Pat Metheny, Stevie Wonder, George Benson, Oumou Sangaré, and the list goes on.

Whomever he works with, in whatever genre he’s in, Bona’s singular sound, musicianship, and incredible vocal gift always convey his African origins.

Born in East Cameroon, Bona began playing gigs at age 11 on a rented electric guitar. When a Frenchman opened a jazz club in a local hotel and heard about the teenage musical prodigy, he hired Richard to assemble an in-house band, and Bona’s life trajectory would be changed forever.

Fast forward ten years later to Paris, France, where Bona’s horizons would once again broaden as he played alongside French musicians such as violinist Didier Lockwood, bassist Marc Ducret, and African stars including Manu Dibango and Salif Keita.

In the mid-1990s, Bona relocated to New York City, where he teamed up with Weather Report founder Joe Zawinul and was tapped by the legendary Harry Belafonte to be his musical director.

Bona is currently on tour throughout Europe, but Allison Halstead Reid, the executive director of Vashon Center for the Arts, convinced him to cross the pond to make a special stop on Vashon during a break in his tour.

Don’t miss this opportunity to experience a true legend of jazz, soul, and African music forms at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28, at VCA. Get tickets for the show at vashoncenterforthearts.org.

Danay Suarez Photo Richard Bona