Mary Ann McSweeney was born and raised in Aptos, California. She began playing the piano at age five, and began studying the violin when she was eight. She performed the Haydn Piano concerto, the Grieg piano concerto and Rhapsody in Blue on piano while playing concert master on
violin and taking up jazz bass. She was chosen to perform at the Monterey Jazz Festival at age 16 with the All Star Big Band fronted by Thad Jones and Mel Lewis.

She has performed with Dizzy Gillespie, Lee Konitz, Joanne Brackeen, Dave Liebman, Lewis Nash, Holly Hoffman, Larry goldings, Gil Goldstein, Rick Margitza, Mike Wofford, Frank Wess, Dennis Makrel, Renee Rosnes, Bucky Pizzarelli,Vic Juris, Mike Le Donne, Bucky Pizzerelli, Victor
Lewis, Howard Alden, Ken Peplowski, Stacy Rowles, Diva and Maiden
Voyage. She also has worked with famous conductors such as Leonard
Bernstein, John Williams and Lalo Schifrin.

She has recently traveled to Europe performing at the Sexial Jazz
Festival in Portugal with her Quintet. She just completed a 10 day tour
with Lee Konitz in Spain. She has also traveled throughout Europe with
David Krakouer’s “Klezmer Madness.” Mary Ann McSweeney’s Quintet was
invited to play for the Mary Lou Williams Jazz Festival at the Kennedy
Center in Washington D.C.

McSweeney can be seen playing bass with vocalist Lea Delaria on the
PBS special Live at the Newport Jazz festival. On Lea Delaria’s Warner
Bros. latest C.D.release McSweeney’s arrangement of the Patti Smith
song “Dancing Barefoot,” is the first track.

Avenue Q Swings was recently performed at Birdland and the Lucille
Lortel Theater to raise money for the Jazz Foundation and the Greenwich
Music school. These were songs from the Tony award winning musical
Avenue Q arranged by McSweeney.

Mary Ann McSweeney has two C.D.‘s Thoughts of You and Swept Away on
the Sparky 1 Record Label.