The Yohannes Tona Band

The Yohannes Tona Band

December 7, 2025 at 7:30PM

Join the incredible Yohannes Tona Band for a special Nashville performance featuring David Rodgers on piano/keyboards, Luke Sullivant on guitar, Miguel Alvarado on sax/flute, and Wendell Henry on drums and percussion.

Born in the vibrant southern Ethiopian city of Awassa, Yohannes Tona grew up surrounded by the sounds of his parents’ traveling music ministry—a duo of voice and accordion that shaped his early love of rhythm and melody. By age fifteen, he had already co-produced his mother’s album and performed on an international crusade led by evangelist Reinhard Bonnke, gaining early recognition within Ethiopia’s church and jazz communities.

After formal studies at Yared Music School in Addis Ababa, Yohannes earned a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Soon after, he accepted a music director position in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he began to establish himself as a world-class performer, arranger, and recording artist.

Yohannes went on to form The Yohannes Tona Band, fusing his Ethiopian heritage with the language of American jazz, soul, and funk. His albums Afro Child (2007), Sand From the Desert (2010), and 1317 (2017) showcase his signature Ethio-jazz sound—rich, rhythmic, and deeply rooted in both African and Western traditions.

As a bassist and collaborator, Yohannes has performed or recorded with Cory Wong, Stokley, Dave Koz, Jef Lee Johnson, Nachito Herrera, The Sounds of Blackness, and The Gettys, among others. His work has been featured on Cory Wong: Live at Montreux, H.E.R. + Stokley: Rush, and Dave Koz + Cory Wong: The Golden Hour.

A Grammy nominee and Emerging Composer Award recipient from the American Composers Forum, Yohannes has graced global stages including Carnegie Hall, Hollywood Bowl, Montreux Jazz Festival, Fuji Rock Japan, and Lollapalooza India.

Today, while touring internationally, Yohannes continues to create music that bridges his Ethiopian roots and American experience through projects like Yo’s Ethio-Jazz Café, celebrating a sound that is both deeply personal and universally resonant.