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Mary Ann McSweeney

Mary Ann McSweeney was born in Aptos, California. She started playing piano at the age of five and then began studying the violin at age 8. In high school she fell in love with the acoustic bass while watching Ray Brown perform at the Concord Jazz Festival. She was chosen to play at the Monterey Jazz Festival at age 16 with the All Star band fronted by Thad Jones and Mel Lewis.

McSweeney has played with jazz legends Dizzy Gillespie, Joanne Brackeen and Lee Konitz, Gil Goldstein and Bucky Pizzarelli, and played for famous conductors, Leonard Bernstein, Lalo Schifrin, and John Williams. She has performed with Renee Rosness, Vic Juris, Ken Peplowski, Dennis Mackrel, Lewis Nash and Larry Goldings. Mary Ann performed with the Maiden Voyage and Diva Big Bands and performed with her quintet at the Sexial Jazz Festival in Portugal and the Mary Lou Williams Jazz Festival at the Kennedy Center.

Ms. McSweeney arranged for and recorded with Warner Bros. Artist, Lea Delaria. She toured Europe and performed with David Krakouer’s Klezmer Madness and three time Tony award winning vocalist Audra McDonald. Her orchestrations can be heard on Chita Rivera’s new Cd entitled “Now I Swing.” Her original music can be heard on the webisode about the making of the new show “Allegiance,” which features George Takei. Along with being full time professional bassist in New York City, McSweeney is on the faculty for the Middle School Jazz Academy at Lincoln Center and the New York Jazz Workshop. She has been working also working with the Fordham Business school in helping facilitate workshops for business students from Turkey, South Africa, China and the Europe.

She recently recorded with award winning jazz baritonist, Claire Daly, on the “Baritone Monk” CD which hit the top 10 on the jazz charts in 2014. She has performed at the White House with the Eli Yamin Quintet for a special event. She has been the musical director/arranger for a three shows at Birdland in New York City featuring Jane Monheit. The program’s included selections from the Cole Porter musical, “Anything Goes,” and a tribute to Irving Berlin.

In May of 2015 she was invited to play for the Gala at the Kennedy Center with a big band conducted by John Clayton with Jeff Hamilton on drums. The artists were Jennifer Holliday, The Puppini Sisters, Paul Taylor Dance Company, Megan Hilty and Cheyenne Jackson.

She is Currently on a leave of absence from the Tony Award Winning Show of 2014 “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder” to tour in South Africa and Ghana performing with world jazz artist Nana Simopoulos.

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162
Album Review

Mary Ann McSweeney: Swept Away

Read "Swept Away" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey


Bassist Mary Ann McSweeney debuted with her well-received recording Thoughts of You on Jim Eigo's Jazz Magnet label. On that outing she employed her husband, Mike Fahn, on valve trombone, Donny McCaslin on reeds and flutes, Henry Hey on piano, and Tim Horner on drums. Now, almost three years later, McSweeney returns with the same band for Swept Away, where she swirls together influences from European Classical, East Indian, and South American traditions. The result is a heady mead made ...

169
Album Review

Mary Ann McSweeney: Swept Away

Read "Swept Away" reviewed by Mark F. Turner


If you want to hear a world class bassist, then seriously consider Mary Ann McSweeney. Her sound on the upright bass is extremely deep and robust. Her technique and chops reveal a seasoned musician, yet her approach to the music on her new release is fresh and daring. Having performed with artists from jazz great Dizzy Gillespie to classical notables Leonard Bernstein and John Williams, her capabilities are not restricted by genre. She currently is one of a few bassists ...

140
Album Review

Mary Ann McSweeney: Thoughts Of You

Read "Thoughts Of You" reviewed by AAJ Staff


If you haven't heard of bassist Mary Ann McSweeney, you should. After years of work on both coasts with names like Dizzy Gillespie and the Diva Big Band, McSweeney has released a brilliantly conceived and executed album that she leads.The fact that McSweeney leads Thoughts Of You is another reason for attention. Few bassists are leading their own groups, with the notable exceptions of, say, Dave Holland and Avishai Cohen, let alone securing recording opportunities for the groups ...

118
Album Review

Mary Ann McSweeney: Thoughts of You

Read "Thoughts of You" reviewed by Glenn Astarita


Jazz bassist Mary Ann McSweeney possesses a smooth touch and conveys a warm, organic tone throughout these eight affable pieces. She commences the opener, “R.B.’s Tribute” with a peppery ostinato motif as the sextet expounds upon the primary theme via a mid tempo swing, featuring young tenor sax dynamo Donny McCaslin’s brawny and angular phrasing. The band turns in a radiant rendition of Wayne Shorter’s “Yes and No” as the soloists encircle the familiar melody with intricate interplay and resonant ...

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“Mary Ann McSweeney reveals herself to be a talented bassist and bandleader, a resourceful composer and an imaginative arranger. The musicians on the album are outstanding. Opting for the unusual frontline of trombone and saxophone, McSweeney enlists Mike Fahn and Donny McCaslin respectively. Fahn plays both valve and slide trombones, and McCaslin switches between tenor and soprano, giving McSweeney additional colors to work with. Henry Hey, a budding master, provides wonderful orchestral viewpoints at the piano. Tim Horner, at the drums, serves as McSweeney’s partner in rhythm, and percussionist Joe Mowatt appears on three tracks.” —David R. Adler, All Music Guide

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Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Swept Away

Sparky 1 Productions
2003

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Thoughts of You

Jazz Magnet Records
2001

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