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Dana Leong Biography

"The songs find their origins in hip-hop, but this is no surprise.  It is actually comforting that an artist of this generation has instilled his poetry with universal vision; a vision that permeates the state of art, music, race and the world to life them up and bring them to an attention that is broad, and not simply for a select few." – All About Jazz

Electro-jazz cellist/composer Dana Leong fuses hip-hop, jazz and electronics to create a signature boundless sound. Often referred to as a "hi-def Yo-Yo Ma," Dana has revolutionized the cello with his cutting edge amplification, lyrical melodies, and collage of jazz textures and improvisations. Whether as a performer, composer, collaborator, or recording producer, Dana's pioneering fusion of electronic music and ethereal jazz sensualities has garnered critical acclaim and wowed audiences worldwide.

As bandleader/composer, he heads the quartet MILK & JADE by Dana Leong (formerly known as The Dana Leong Band) featuring Dana (cello/trombone/laptop), Aviv Cohen (drums), Adam Platt (keyboards), and MC Mtume Gant a.k.a. Core Rhythm (rap vocals). The group's unique blend of electronic hip-hop, jazz funk rhythms and rock propulsions is a sonic representation of Dana's hybrid artistic vision. Dana, an Asian American artist of Chinese and Japanese descent, and his band were selected from a national pool of applicants to represent American music overseas as part of The Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad program. Produced in conjunction with Jazz at Lincoln Center and the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, MILK & JADE by Dana Leong served as one of the country's urban music quartets that best reflects the talent and diversity of musicians from across the United States. They recently completed their sold-out tour throughout Asia, which culminated at New York City’s Dizzy’s Coca-Cola Club in April 2008.

Described as crafting "lines of sublime lyric content" (Chicago Tribune), and "sizzling, highly stylized solos" (Philadelphia Inquirer), Dana has held roles as both a performer and composer with top artists including: the 2006 Grammy-nominated jazz chamber trio led by Paquito D’Rivera (where he fills a chair frequented by Yo-Yo Ma); the 2007 Grammy-nominated Dafnis Prieto Absolute Quintet; and has worked with Ray Charles, Diddy, Kanye West, Wynton Marsalis, Yoko Ono, Ryuichi Sakamoto and more. Following his successful debut release Leaving New York (featuring Grammy Award winners Christian McBride and Paquito D'Rivera), Dana recently released his latest recording Anthems of Life.

On screen, Dana has acted and performed on screen in a number of different settings such as Steven Spielberg's feature film The Terminal, Robin Williams' August Rush, NBC's Law & Order, The Today Show, and with The Roots "Live at Wetlands." Dana has even performed for fashion shows including designers Alexander Hercovitch and Dianne von Furstenberg.

Dana studied both classical cello and jazz trombone at the Manhattan School of Music. As an official Yamaha artist, Dana gives clinics and workshops around the globe on the use of electronics with cello and trombone, and his unique genre-bending composition techniques.

MILK & JADE by Dana Leong (formerly known as The Dana Leong Band)
(Pictured from left to right)
Adam Platt (keyboards)
Dana Leong (cello/trombone/laptop),
Aviv Cohen (drums)
Mtume Gant a.k.a. Core Rhythm (MC)

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MILK & JADE by Dana Leong
Biography

MILK & JADE by Dana Leong, featuring Dana Leong(cello/trombone/laptop), Aviv Cohen(drums), Adam Platt(keyboards), and Core Rhythm(MC/rap vocals), has a sizzling musical chemistry that combines live grooves, electronically charged tracks, poetic rhyming and impeccable artistry. Bandleader Leong uses a laptop both onstage and in the studio to create soundscapes of electronic beats and to manipulate the sound of instruments through real time processing. The result is a unique fusion of computerized instrumental hip-hop funk rhythms and rock propulsions.

In 2007, the band was selected for The Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad Program, produced in conjunction with Jazz at Lincoln Center and the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Designed to foster cultural exchange in areas with limited access to American music and culture, the tour included concert dates in eight South East Asian countries, culminating in a homecoming concert at Dizzy’s Coca-Cola Club in New York City in April 2008.

New York magazine praised the band’s recent performance at BAMcafé as “hands down excellent,” describing its diverse audience as “a mix of gray curls, flowing caftans, dapper Fonzworth Bentley–style suits, and quite a few zip hoodies.” A popular addition to the festival and college music circuit, MILK & JADE by Dana Leong has performed at UCLA, Franklin & Marshall College (PA), the Rochester Summer Arts Fest and the Huntington Arts Festival in New York, Manhattan’s famed Knitting Factory, and at the National Geographic Society in Washington, DC. During the 08-09 season, the group will appear at The Duke Ellington Jazz Festival and on tour in Serbia, Sweden, Italy, Germany, and Finland.


ABOUT THE MEMBERS:

Aviv Cohen (drums)
Aviv Cohen is a New York-based drummer currently active in various music scenes. Aviv was born in 1983 and began playing the drums at the age of fourteen in his native Israel. He graduated from the Jerusalem School for the Arts, and later from the Rimon College of Music in Israel. Aviv moved to New York City in 2005 and quickly established himself as a much-in-demand player through his formidable technique, deep groove, and an individual, decidedly international approach that makes him sound at ease within various musical vocabularies -- from straight-up jazz to hip-hop, rock, drum-and-bass, and electronica. Aviv is the co-leader of Monstep, a modern, electronica-infused groove project from Israel that has found an increasingly international audience, especially after the release of its 2007 debut album, "The What and the Why." Aviv has also recorded and/or performed with, among others, Yoni Rechter, Avishai Cohen, Jason Lindner, Christian Howes, Husnu Senlendirici and Sam Barsh. He also leads his own group in NYC.

Mtume Gant a.k.a. Core Rhythm (MC)
Super Emcee and Producer CORE RHYTHM took New York City by storm with his fierce debut, "Nat Turner Reloaded" (Voted #6 on the rapreviews.com Top 10 list of 2006) and in a few short years has become a force in the New York independent hip hop scene. Characterized by powerful thought-provoking lyrics and earth-shattering beats, Core is carving out his own niche. He has performed on the same bill with hip hop legends such as O.C., The Juggaknots, C Rayz Walz, Wordsworth and many others and has collaborated in the studio with artists such as Grandmixer DXT. He is currently putting the final touches to his next release, entitled "Ronin," due out summer 2008.

Adam Platt (keyboards)
Adam Platt began playing the piano at the age of four, and at ten was the youngest winner ever of the solo piano competition at the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival. He continued to participate in jazz festivals and workshops, won several DownBeat student music awards, and, at Stanford Jazz Workshop in 1993, first met and played with Dana Leong, beginning a long-standing musical relationship. Adam attended New England Conservatory and Berklee College of Music in Boston and has studied with many jazz luminaries including Michael Cain and Joanne Brackeen. He has released three original jazz albums and resides in New York City where he is currently completing an original soul/hiphop recording.

© 2008 Dana Leong, Tateo Sound