The Asian American Music Festival 2010 (AAMF) is an event not to be missed this fall. You’ll have October 15, 16 and 17 to choose from, so there’s no excuse for missing out on the international music festival featuring concerts, dance and educational programming. The festival will be held at Los Angeles’ Japanese National Museum.

Jake Shimabukuro.

The AAMF is the world’s leading festival celebrating Asian American music, from jazz, pop, world music, hip-hop and electronica. AAMF celebrates the artistic and creative achievements of Asian American, Asian, and Asian Pacific Islander artists in all genres of music. This year, headliners include ukulele legend Jake Shimabukuro, groundbreaking hip-hop artist Shing02 (“Shing-Oh-2″), and international songstress Charmaine Clamor.

Charmaine Clamor.

These superstars will be joined by an eclectic lineup of Asian American virtuosos including Jon Jang, Dana Leong, Kero One (we featured his amazing video “On Bended Knee”), Gary Fukushima, Abe Lagrimas, Jr., Noel Okimoto, Emi Meyer, Shanghai Restoration Project, and Sachal Vasandani.

Kero One.

“As a promoter, the only thing better than having a sold-out festival is having a sold-out festival filled from start to finish with music I love. And I really love this festival’s lineup!” says festival founder and director Paul Im. “I’m extremely proud of our programming this year. We’re presenting the most current, culturally relevant, and artistically engaging artists of Asian descent in the world today, all together in a cohesive format. ”

This year’s festival will be celebrated in five movements:

Dana Leong.

Movement 1 (Friday evening, 10/15): Urbanisms features west coast hip-hop star, Kero One, opening for Dana Leong’s Milk & Jade project which fuses electronica and hip-hop. Movement 1′s headliner is Japanese rapping sensation, Shing02.

Movement 2 (Saturday afternoon, 10/16): Generations is a direct tribute to the Asian American jazz legacy and the API consciousness movement with performances by two generations of leading Asian American pianists, Gary Fukushima and Jon Jang. Movement 2 closes with the world premiere of “Concerto for Jazz Orchestra and Taiko” composed by Jon Jang, performed by The New Asian American Jazz Orchestra directed by Gary Fukushima.

Emi Meyer.

Movement 3 (Saturday evening, 10/16): Stars of the Islands is Hawaiian music night with international pop superstar Jake Shimabukuro headlining. Abe Lagrimas, Jr. and Noel Okimoto open with their vibraphone and drums quartet.

Movement 4 (Sunday Afternoon, 10/17): Angles features Japanese American pop-jazz superstar Emi Meyer opening for Undercover Culture recording group, Shanghai Restoration Project, in a multi-media hip-hop and electronic performance.

Movement 5 (Sunday evening, 10/17): Identity closes AAMF with two stars of unique artistic and cultural identities: singers Sachal Vasandani and Charmaine Clamor in two performances of jazz with world influence.

Sachal Vasandani.

“This year’s Asian American Music Festival, an evolution from the Asian American Jazz Festival, reflects our decision to celebrate all expressions of music by API artists, no matter the genre,” says Im. “Asian American artists have had rich histories in hip-hop, jazz, world and electronic music. The festival celebrates diversity while focusing on Asian American cultural identity and the API artists who share this connection.”

DETAILS

October 15-17, 2010

Japanese National Museum, 369 East First Street, Los Angeles, CA

Online ticketing is now available through the festival’s website www.AsianAmericanMusicFestival.com

Jazz musician and composer Dana Leong.

Jazz musician and composer Dana Leong will be bringing his unique “hip-hop meets avant-jazz sound” to the Golden State in a three-month long performance tour, starting tonight (August 11) through October 2. The Bay Area native kicks off his California tour with his headlining debut at Yoshi’s in Oakland.

Leong, a jazz cellist and trombonist, has played around the country with the likes of legendary avant-jazz saxophonist Henry Threadgill, Cuban jazz clarinetist and saxophonist Paquito D’Rivera, and drummer Dafnis Prieto. He has also worked with top artists such as Wynton Marsalis, Yoko Ono and Kanye West, to name a few. Critics agree that Leong has created a very unique, boundless signature sound by “revolutionizing” the cello with his cutting edge amplification, lyrical melodies and collage of jazz textures and improvisations.

Tonight, expect to see the Japanese-Chinese American leading his quartet Milk & Jade by Dana Leong (Hager ben Ari on bass, Yoni Halevy on drums, and iLLspoKinN on vocals) in full hip-hop regalia. They’ll continue with performances at the San Jose Jazz Festival (August 13), and then in Los Angeles at the Levitt Pavilion MacArthur Park (August 14) and the Asian American Music Festival (October 15).

In addition, Leong continues to score for visual/theater projects with the world premiere of Project Bandaloop’s “Id Ego,” his first commissioned work for a contemporary vertical dance company. A multi-movement, site-reactive piece for San Francisco-based Project Bandaloop, Leong literally takes his musical style to new heights — both the dancers and Leong will propel off and across the exterior walls of the venue. You’ve got to see it to believe it. Catch it at Segerstrom Hall at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, from September 30 to October 2.

For more information and tickets, click here.