Elena Pinderhughes

Early life

Elena Pinderhughes was born in 1995 in Berkeley, California. Raised by professor and activist parents, she grew up in Berkeley with her older brother Samora Pinderhughes, a pianist. She is biracial. From ages 8 to 18, she attended the Young Musicians Choral Orchestra academy in the East Bay, where she studied flute and voice with a focus in jazz and classical music.

Career

When Elena and Samora Pinderhughes were 9 and 13 years old respectively, they professionally recorded their first album together, entitled Catch 22.

Upon moving to New York for college, Pinderhughes was propelled into the city's jazz scene, where she met and began collaborating with musicians such as Ambrose Akinmusire, Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah, and Terri Lyne Carrington. In 2016, Pinderhughes was named the number one "Rising Star" flutist in DownBeat magazine. She has also appeared in Tiny Desk Concerts by Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah in 2015, Zaytoven in 2019, and her brother Samora Pinderhughes in a virtual concert in 2022.

In September 2023, Pinderhughes performed a five-part suite titled "A Diaspora Journey" alongside Beninese guitarist Lionel Loueke at the Monterey Jazz Festival. Pinderhughes and Loueke also both performed with Herbie Hancock for his headlining set at the festival.

Discography

As leader

Catch 22 (2005)

As featured musician

Ambrose Akinmusire – The Imagined Savior Is Far Easier to Paint (2014) Tom Graf – Smokin''' (2014) Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah – Stretch Music (2015) Common – Black America Again (2016) Ray Obiedo – Latin Jazz Project, Vol. 1 (2016) Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah – Diaspora (2017) Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah – Ruler Rebel (2017) Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah – The Emancipation Procrastination (2017) August Greene – August Greene (2018) Lupe Fiasco – Drogas Wave (2018) Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah – Ancestral Recall (2019) Taylor McFerrin – Love's Last Chance (2019) Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah – Axiom (2020) Childish Gambino – 3.15.20 (2020) Weedie Braimah – The Hands of Time (2021) Jon L. Smith – Yermo (2021) Terri Lyne Carrington – New Standards Vol. 1 (2022) Immanuel Wilkins – The 7th Hand (2022) Samora Pinderhughes – Grief (2022) Terrace Martin – Fine Tune (2023) Aja Monet – When the Poems Do What They Do (2023) Victoria Monét – Jaguar II (2023) Ben Wendel – All One (2023) American Fiction (2023) Yebba – Waterfall (I Adore You) (2023) Milton Nascimento and Esperanza Spalding – Milton + Esperanza'' (2024)