Photo by Sasa Huzjak

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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

Cellist/Trombonist/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's pioneering fusion of electronic music and ethereal jazz sensualities has garnered critical acclaim and wowed audiences worldwide. Whether as a performer, composer, collaborator, or recording producer, he has worked with top artists including Dafnis Prieto, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Wynton Marsalis, Yoko Ono, and Kanye West, to name a few.

Dana’s genre-bending quartet, MILK & JADE by Dana Leong, has received worldwide acclaim performing sold out shows at jazz festivals in Sweden, Italy, Germany, Finland, Slovenia, Serbia, Austria, Ireland, Mexico, Macau, and China. In 2008, the band served as an American musical ambassador 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.

Described as crafting "lines of sublime lyric content" (Chicago Tribune), and "sizzling, highly stylized solos" (Philadelphia Inquirer), Dana was recently commissioned by Apollo Theater to create an evening-length music and video show entitled Life After Dark, which premiered to a sold out house, followed by performances at Joe’s Pub and The Greene Space at WNYC in New York.

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.

An Asian-American artist of Chinese and Japanese descent, Dana studied both classical cello and jazz trombone on double scholarships at 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

MILK & JADE by Dana Leong live at Macau International Music Festival
Photo by Sozo Media

Watch Live Performance Clips of MILK & JADE by Dana Leong

MILK & JADE by Dana Leong (cello/trombone/laptop, rap vocals, bass and drums) 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 2008, 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.

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. Tthe group also recently appeared at The Duke Ellington Jazz Festival and on tour in Serbia, Sweden, Italy, Germany, and Finland.

© 2010 Dana Leong, Tateo Sound