NY band in PNG on cultural exchange

A BAND from New York will be arriving in Port Moresby today as part of “The rhythm road: American music abroad” programme.
The Dana Leong band is coming in from Fiji as part of the programme produced in conjunction with Jazz at Lincoln Centre and the US department of state bureau of educational and cultural affairs.
While in Port Moresby, they will conduct a musician’s workshop, and perform at a by-invition only concert at Boroko East International School.
Band leader Leong uses a laptop both on stage and in the studio to create sounds of electronic beats and manipulate the sound of instruments through real time processing.
This mixture results in a unique fusion of computerised instrumental hip-hop funk rhythms and rock momentums.
Leong is a composer and performer both on-stage and in the studio.
He blends hip-hop, jazz, rock propulsions, and classical and cinematic soundscapes to create a fused sound.
Following his successful debut release, “Leaving New York” (featuring Christian McBride, eight-time Grammy winning clarinetist Paquito D’Rivera and others), Dana recently completed “Anthems of Life,” his second full-length recording.
Dana Leong is an Asian-American artist of Chinese and Japanese descent, and is breaking down artistic and cultural boundaries, collaborating, and inventing, recording, touring and garnering critical acclaim along the way.