Brandon McCune

BRANDON MCCUNE BIOThis Chicago native makes his home in Newark, NJ. His musical studies began at age three, when his parents enrolled him the the Suzuki Method of Classical Piano. For the past eighteen years, Brandon has been an experienced Professional Musician (pianist, organist, drummer, trumpeter, bassist, and choir director) serving as a principal music instructor, composer, counselor, arranger, and performer with a special concentration in the jazz, classical, and gospel genres. Brandon was selected through a national audition as a 1998-1999 U.S. Jazz Ambassador to Africa, where he traveled abroad representing the United States performing public and private concerts, master classes and workshops. He has worked as a band leader and as a sideman for artists such as Abbey Lincoln, Miki Howard, Terence Blanchard, Nneena Freelon, Betty Carter, Wynton Marsalis, Ted Dunbar, Larry Ridley, Russell Malone, Lenora Zenzalai Helm, Mark Gross, Antonio Hart, and Orbert Davis. He currently serves as Musical Director for all music and dance ministry programs at Union Baptist Church (Montclair, NJ). His leadership acumen is demonstrated in his founding of BASIC Inc., a non-profit umbrella for Gospel Music entertainment, music education, and various other arts related entities.Brandon can be heard on many recordings. A partial listing includes: Lenora Zenzalai Helm (Voice Paintings, MidLantic Records), Nneena Freelon ("Blueprint of a Lady", "Live", & “Tales of Wonder”, Concord Records), Abbey Lincoln (“Over the Years”, Verve Records), Alma Micic ( Introducing Alma), and Gregory Kilpatrick (Come On Over)His education was garnered at Rutgers University, Mason Gross School of the Arts in New Brunswick, NJ, where he earned a Bachelor of Music degree in 1997. Privately he has studied with jazz luminaries Kenny Barron, Betty Carter, Mulgrew Miller, Abbey Lincoln, Larry Ridley, and Ted Dunbar. He also spent one year in Seminary at Drew University.