[1] Cardenas was a member of the Paul Motian Electric Bebop Band, Charlie Haden Liberation Music Orchestra, Steve Swallow Quintet, and Joey Baron's band, Killer Joey.
Cardenas has also worked with Claude "Fiddler" Williams, Paul McCandless, Madeleine Peyroux, Norah Jones,[2] Eliane Elias and Marc Johnson.
He has toured throughout Europe, North and South America and Asia, performing at international music festivals, theaters, and clubs.
[2][3] Cardenas is on faculty at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York City.
Cardenas is co-author, with editor Don Sickler, of the Thelonious Monk Fakebook, released by Hal Leonard Publishing.