gladney.

GRAMMY-nominated • multi-instrumentalist
composer • a foremost creative from New Orleans

Gladney, a 2024 Foundation for Louisiana World Maker and sixth-generation New Orleans native, hails from the city’s iconic Lower 9th Ward. With a professional career that began at just 12, Gladney brings a wealth of experience, an infectious spirit, and a signature “Gladney Bow” hairstyle to every performance, making him a truly unforgettable artist.

A graduate of both the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA) and the New School for Jazz & Contemporary Music, Gladney’s early achievements include being selected for the esteemed Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz (now the Herbie Hancock Institute) All-Star group. This role took him across the U.S., performing educational jazz “informances” with jazz greats Lisa Henry and Antonio Hart. During this time, Gladney was also honored to perform at the White House under the Obama administration.

With a 20-year career spanning high-profile performances, music videos, and live TV appearances, Gladney has been seen on The Kelly & Ryan Show, Late Night with Seth Meyers, and BBC’s The Graham Norton Show. His international collaborations feature an impressive roster of artists, including Jonathan Batiste, Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters, Ellis Marsalis, George Duke, Delfeayo Marsalis, Solange, and Joe Dyson. A two-time GRAMMY nominee, he contributed to Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah’s 2018 album, The Emancipation Procrastination, on the track “Cages” and played a key role in the creation of The Rumble’s Stories From the Battlefield.

Currently, Gladney leads his self-titled band, with the debut single “Selenite,” released in 2021, marking the beginning of his band’s recording journey. He is a proud member of the Recording Academy and serves as the woodwind instructor at his alma mater, NOCCA, leading the next generation of musicians.