About Dana Murray

As a native of Omaha, I began gigging wherever and whenever I could, including street corner performances. 

In the mid-'90s, I moved to Boston to attend the Berklee College of Music on scholarship. Shortly thereafter, on the advice of jazz legends Max Roach and Victor Lewis, I moved to the center of the jazz universe, New York City.

From the mid-'90s to the early ‘00s, I became as involved as I could in the jazz scene. I had the pleasure of touring the world with Wynton Marsalis and began gigging and recording with the likes of Donald Byrd, Jimmy Witherspoon, Roy Hargrove, Sherman Irby, Marc Cary and Russell Gunn to name a few.

During my time in New York, I also found the time to play in several Broadway shows, including the rock opera “Tommy”... I tried not to limit myself to jazz. 

I 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.

In 2000, I founded Reallive, a cutting-edge hip-hop group, along with Malike Burke. 

As a producer, I have worked on records with a variety of local and commercial labels, including BlueNote. Most recently, I collaborated with Eric Revis on his latest album, “Sing Me Some Cry." Some of my other recent collaborations have included industry heavyweights Aloe Blacc, JD Allen, Caron Wheeler, Orrin Evans, Oliver Lake, Nasheet Waits as well as a host of up-and-coming artists.

I have also held teaching positions at University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha Public School District and Bellevue Public School District. As founder of Dojo Percussion and its parent company DMgroove Drum Dojo, we aim to reach the masses through the power of music and percussive art. 

Today, my focus is on MAKING music and collaborating with other artists to create unique sounds. 

View Discography   View Endorsements