Brandon L. Robertson is a notable-recognized Upright/Electric Bassist originally from Tampa, Florida. He is the Director of Jazz Studies & Director of the Basketball Band at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers. In 2019, he released his first album, “Bass’d on A True Story,” through Canadian label Slammin Media/Believe Distributions. The album reached #16 on the iTunes Top 200 Jazz Releases.
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, Robertson 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, he 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, Robertson is also an advocate in jazz/music education. He has presented jazz clinics, workshops, masterclasses and guest performances in schools K-12 throughout Florida, Georgia and Texas. 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, Georgia where he taught applied bass and helped assist with the jazz ensemble.
As a prominent bandleader, Robertson has taken his band on multiple national tours, headlining at some of the top jazz venues in the country, including 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.
He has performed with notable acts including The World Famous Count Basie Orchestra led by director Scotty Barnhart, Vocalist Carmen Bradford, Laila Biali (2019 JUNO Award Winner), Tony Lindsay (11x Grammy Winner and singer for Carlos Santana), Jason Marsalis, Marcus Roberts, Marty Morell (Drummer of Pianist Bill Evans: 1968-1974), Vocalist Carla Cook, George Clinton, Vocalist Kenny Washington, Dan Miller (Former Member of The Harry Connick Jr. Big Band), Lew Del Gatto (Former Member of the SNL Band), Charlie McCoy (International Harmonica Player, Country Hall of Fame), Eric Alexander, Wycliffe Gordon, Greg Tardy, Marcus Printup (Member of the JALC Orchestra), Warren Wolf, and Dick Hyman. Robertson has also toured 22 countries in Europe traveling from the Mediterranean, up to the capital of Iceland.
Robertson has performed in the South Carolina Jazz Festival, Savannah Jazz Festival, Sanibel Jazz & Blues Festival, The Landings Music Festival, Florida Jazz & Blues Festival, and In May of 2017, he made his debut as a Headlining Act at the 2017 International Jacksonville Jazz Festival in Jacksonville, Florida.
He is an honorary member of the Kappa Kappa Psi Mu Upsilon Chapter at Florida Gulf Coast University. In 2018 Robertson was part of a nominated-documentary for a Suncoast Emmy Award for best documentary for educational collegiate programs featuring the FGCU Jazz Ensemble.
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