Brandon McCune

This Chicago native makes his home in Newark, NJ. His musical studies began at age three, when his parents enrolled him in the Suzuki Method of Classical Piano. For the past eighteen years, Brandon McCune has been an experienced Professional Musician (pianist, organist, drummer, trumpeter, bassist, vocalist, 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, music director, or as a sideman for artists such as Abbey Lincoln, Terence Blanchard, Nneena Freelon, Betty Carter, Miki Howard, Wynton Marsalis, Bruce Williams, Chrisette Michele, Ted Dunbar, Larry Ridley, Russell Malone, Lenora Zenzalai Helm, Mark Gross, Antonio Hart, and Orbert Davis.

Brandon has served as Minister of Music for several congregations in NJ. 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. He, along with Pastor Amir Ballard, co-founded the "Just Cause" concert series which brings together the music departments from different congregations for an annual Praise & Worship celebration.

He can be heard on many recordings. A partial listing includes: Brandon McCune (“Tell the Story, MAC5 Records), Nneena Freelon ("Blueprint of a Lady", "Live", “Tales of Wonder" & “Home Free", Concord Records), Abbey Lincoln (“Over the Years", Verve Records), Kahlil Kwame Bell (“Duality"), Lenora Zenzalai Helm (Voice Paintings, MidLantic Records), Alma Micic ( “Introducing Alma" & “The Hours"), Gregory Kilpatrick (“Come On Over"), and Pam Purvis (“I Had A Ball").

He has written music for choreographer Camille A. Brown’s “Matchstick" and “Groove to Nobody’s Business", which has been touring with the Alvin Ailey Dance Company. He has also written and arranged music for Nnenna Freelon and Ronald K. Brown and Evidence Dance Ensemble for the collaborative work “The Once and Future Life of Billie Holiday".

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.

Brandon is currently serving his community as the Music Production instructor at Newark Vocational Technical High School.
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