Biography

Guitarist Steve Cardenas began his musical career in Kansas City and has been an integral part of the New York City jazz community since the mid-1990s. He is known for his melodicism and warm sound, as well as a blues element in his playing. Cardenas has performed and recorded with many well-known and highly esteemed musicians. Notably, he was a longstanding member of the Paul Motian Electric Bebop Band, Charlie Haden Liberation Music Orchestra, the Steve Swallow Quintet, as well as Joey Baron's quartet Killer Joey. Cardenas is currently a member of the Ben Allison Band, Jon Cowherd Mercy Project, John Patitucci Electric Guitar Quartet and Adam Nussbaum Lead Belly Project. He has also performed with such diverse artists as Claude ‘Fiddler’ Williams, Madeleine Peyroux, Norah Jones, Paul McCandless, Eliane Elias, Maria Muldaur and many others. Cardenas has toured extensively throughout Europe, North and South America and Asia, performing at international music festivals, theaters and clubs. He has released six recordings as a leader and appears as a sideman on over 100 recordings. Additionally, Cardenas is also a well-respected educator with a faculty position at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York City. He has also been an instructor at the California Institute of the Arts, Siena Summer Jazz Workshop, Alternative Guitar Summit Camp, Brubeck Summer Jazz Colony, Stanford Jazz Workshop and Banff International Workshop in Jazz and Creative Music.