Kris Tiner & Cathlene Pineda
Appearing on
Featuring:
- Kris Tiner – trumpet
- Cathlene Pineda – piano
About
Trumpeter Kris Tiner and pianist Cathlene Pineda have been playing music together for over 15 years, initially in Pineda’s quartet and also in groups led by LA avant-garde figurehead Vinny Golia and indie jazz producer Chris Schlarb. Over time, their deep friendship and intuitive musical connection quite naturally led them to the duet format. In their concert appearances they have explored original compositions, improvisations, and insightful arrangements of American jazz and folk song repertoire.
Their new LP “Sung” on Orenda Records is the definitive statement of their duo music to date, featuring an exquisitely recorded collection of performances that seamlessly blend influences ranging from Ellington to Chopin, from Stravinsky to Kenny Wheeler.
Kris Tiner is a California-based trumpet artist, composer, and educator. He has toured and recorded with the Empty Cage Quartet (Clean Feed Records), Tin/Bag (Big Ego Records), and The Industrial Jazz Group (Innova Recordings). He studied with Wadada Leo Smith at CalArts, and collaborates with artists across the jazz and new music spectrum including Tatsuya Nakatani, Kraig Grady, Lisa Mezzacappa, and Lukas Ligeti. He has been featured at the FONT Festival of New Trumpet Music, Aperitivo in Concerto in Milan, Clean Feed Festival, Angel City Jazz Festival, Is That Jazz? Festival in Seattle, and the Gateshead Jazz Festival in the UK.
Tiner directs the jazz program at Bakersfield College, and was recognized as California’s jazz educator of the year by CMEA in 2023.
Cathlene Pineda is a pianist and composer based in Los Angeles. Her quartet albums on Orenda Records have earned praise in DownBeat and the LA Times. Recent projects include collaborations with the LA Philharmonic, Weimar Film Institute, Big Show Dance Company, Angel City Jazz Festival, Merce Cunningham Dance Studio, the Skirball Center, and the Jane Goodall Institute. She has performed with Bobby Bradford, Art Lande, Albert “Tootie” Heath, Dave Douglas, and Jeff Parker. Her music is featured in the critically-acclaimed film, Jason Nash is Married, produced by Comedy Central Studios.
Pineda co-directs the jazz program and teaches piano and composition at California Institute of the Arts.
“Trumpeter Kris Tiner can turn barbed wire to beauty.”
— Greg Burk, LA Weekly
“Kris Tiner’s trumpet is perfectly suited to the moment… Tiner painting around Pineda’s chords for supreme emotional affect across the album really is the most noteworthy feature of the music.”
— Dave Cantor, DownBeat
“[Cathlene Pineda is] a true piano genius (who) paints a wonderful portrait of personal experiences that will reach right out and touch your soul…”
— Dick Metcalf, Contemporary Fusion
