Brandon L. Robertson
Jazz Collective Youth Ensemble Director
Brandon L. Robertson is an EMMY® nominated director and notable Upright/Electric Bassist originally from Tampa, FL.
In 2009, he graduated from Florida State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Music with a focus on Jazz Studies. In the same year, Brandon became a member of the popular Florida-based jazz trio The Zach Bartholomew Trio. In 2012, the trio released their first album entitled “Out of This Town”, which received notable reviews from jazz critics. In 2015, Brandon performed at the world-famous Dizzy’s Coca Cola Club in New York City with the nationally recognized FSU Jazz Sextet joining members of the JALC Orchestra.
Aside from being an active musician, Brandon is also an advocate in Jazz/Music Education. Brandon has presented jazz clinics, workshops, masterclasses, and guest performances in schools K-12 throughout Florida and taught at the Florida State University Summer Jazz Camps for Middle school and High school students. In the Spring of 2016, he earned his Master of Music in Jazz Performance at Florida State University. During this two-year period, he directed jazz ensembles, small jazz combos, taught various music-related courses at the University each semester, and performed with traveling national acts visiting the campus. He was also a faculty member of Abraham Baldwin Agriculture College School of Music in Tifton, GA where he taught applied bass and helped assist with the jazz ensemble.
As a prominent bandleader, Brandon has taken his band on multiple national tours, headlining at some of the top jazz venues in the country, such as The Palladium, Open Stage, Blues Alley, Andy’s Jazz Club, The Jazz Showcase, The Jazz Kitchen, Cliff Bells, NightTown, The BOP STOP, The Jazz Estate, Shapeshifter Lab, The Side Door, Twins Jazz, Velvet Note, B-Sharps Jazz Club, and many others. To add to his impressive resume, Brandon has performed with notable acts such as The World Famous Count Basie Orchestra led by director Scotty Barnhart, Vocalist Carmen Bradford (Singer for The Count Basie Orchestra), Laila Biali (2019 JUNO Award Winner), Jason Marsalis, Marcus Roberts, Marty Morell (Drummer of Pianist Bill Evans: 1968-1974), Vocalist Carla Cook (Grammy Nominee NYC Singer), Dan Miller (Former Member of The Harry Connick Jr. Big Band) , Lew Del Gatto (Former Member of the SNL Band), Leroy Jones, Charlie McCoy (International Harmonica Player, Country Hall of Fame), Ray Coussins (Pianist and Former Accompanist for Frank Sinatra), Eric Alexander, Wycliffe Gordon, Greg Tardy, Marcus Printup (Member of the JALC Orchestra), Nick Finzer, and Canadian Jazz Singers June Garber & Halie Loren. Brandon has also toured 22 countries in Europe traveling from the Mediterranean, up the capitol of Iceland.
Brandon has performed in the South Carolina Jazz Festival, Atlanta Jazz Festival, Savannah Jazz Festival, Clearwater Jazz Festival, Sanibel Jazz & Blues Festival, The Landings Music Festival, Florida Jazz & Blues Festival, and In May of 2017, Brandon made his debut as a Headlining Act at the 2017 International Jacksonville Jazz Festival in Jacksonville, FL.
Currently, Brandon is the Director of Jazz Studies & Director of the Basketball Band at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, FL. He is now an honorary member of the Kappa Kappa Psi Mu Upsilon Chapter at Florida Gulf Coast University. Brandon was nominated most recently for an EMMY® Award for best documentary for educational collegiate programs featuring the FGCU Jazz Ensemble.
Brandon has currently released his first album “Bass’d on A True Story” through Canadian label Slammin Media/Believe Distributions. The album has reached #16 on the iTunes Top 200 Jazz Releases.