Dana Leong

Described as crafting “lines of sublime lyric content” (Chicago Tribune), and “sizzling, highly stylized solos” (Philadelphia Inquirer), Dana Leong started his impressive career with the rare skill of commanding both the cello and trombone. He 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, and more. Following his successful debut release Leaving New York (featuring Grammy Award winners Christian McBride and Paquito D'Rivera), Dana recently completed his latest recording Anthems of Life.

As bandleader/composer, Dana heads The Dana Leong Band featuring Dana (cello/trombone/laptop), Aviv Cohen (drums), Jason Lindner (keyboards), and MC Baba Israel (rap vocals). The group's unique fusion of electronic hip-hop, jazz funk rhythms and rock propulsions is quickly hypnotizing the world. 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, they have toured all of Asia in 2007. Dana, who is of both Chinese and Japanese descent, was chosen, along with his band, from a national pool of applicants to represent American music overseas; serving as one of the country's urban music quartets that best reflects the talent and diversity of musicians from across the United States.

Dana Leong: No Boundaries

Album Reviews

Anthems of Life by Lyn Horton

Take Five With...

Take Five With Dana Leong

Album Reviews

Leaving New York by Tom Greenland

”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

“Dana Leong is here to rescue you from your jaded cynicism about the US3s and Groove Collectives of the world. Jazz can still be funky and danceable, and hip-hop can most certainly still be artistic and built around—dare we say it—song structure...If the federal government's stamp approval doesn't cut it for you, take ours: Dana Leong is one to watch.”
- MP3.com

“Cellos and trombones aren't exactly instruments that are typically associated with hip-hop, but Dana Leong isn’t one to stay inside the box