GRAMMY-nominated multi-instrumentalist, composer, and saxophonist Gladney is a sixth-generation native of New Orleans’s Lower 9th Ward, .

Having performed and traveled professionally since the age of 12, Gladney is a graduate of the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA), later earning his BA from the New School for Contemporary Music. While at NOCCA, Gladney was chosen to be a part of the now Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz (then Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz) All-Star group where he traveled to high schools around the country educating through jazz “informances.”  During this time, Gladney had the distinct honor and privilege of performing at the White House during the Obama administration.

Gladney currently leads a self-titled band with the 2021 release of "Selenite" marking the band's recording debut. Along with his band, Gladney performs regularly with The Rumble, a Black Masking Indian-led funk band from New Orleans, and Jake Shears of alt-pop band Scissor Sisters.