Dojo Percussion

Wishing HAPPY HOLIDAYS to the entire Dojo Percussion family! I miss all of you! -Dana

Staff Member Spotlight: Dana Murray (Executive Director)

As a high school student, drummer Dana Murray immersed himself in music. He spent countless hours in the "woodshed" studying the masters and honing his skills. A native of Omaha, this "young lion" naturally began gigging wherever and whenever he could, which included street corner performances. In the mid 90’s, Dana moved to Boston to attend the renowned Berklee School of Music on scholarship. Shortly thereafter, on the advice of jazz legends Max Roach and Victor Lewis, Dana moved to the center of the jazz universe, New York City. From the mid 90’s to the early 00's, Dana was a big part of the city’s scene. He toured the world with Wynton Marsalis and began gigging and recording with the likes of Donald Byrd, Jimmy Witherspoon, Roy Hargrove, Sherman Irby, and James Hurt, to name a few. Dana also played several Broadway shows, including the rock opera “Tommy”. Unlike many jazz musicians, Dana didnot limit himself to jazz. Dana toured with the Soul Trance band Topaz and in support of jam band stalwarts Widespread Panic, performed with Atlantic records’ WaxPoetic alongside Norah Jones and Steely Dan singer Carolyn Leonhardt. Along with Malike Burke, Dana founded Reallive, a cutting-edge hip-hop group. Dana is also an A-list Producer who has produced records for a variety of labels including BlueNote. Dana recently produced Eric Revis’ new release "Tales of the Stuttering Mime".

Currently, Dana is one of the most in demand educators in the Mid-West. Holding head percussion positions at Bellevue East and Burke High Schools for the last several years, his programs have been top performers in the State as well as winning multiple out of state contests. As founder of Dojo Percussion and its parent company DMgroove Drum Dojo, Dana aims to reach the masses through the power of music and percussive art.

Round 1 of 2017 auditions is in the books! Thank you to everyone who came out, we're eager to see what you bring next week!

Tomorrow is the day! 2017 auditions here we come.