donnie joe Sweeney is a highly active and in demand Guitarist, Singer, and Double Bassist living just outside of Cardiff in South Wales, UK. He Specialises in Swing Jazz, Jump 'n' Jive, Rock & Roll, R&B, Country, Blues, and Funk.
His moto is, ’Music should be fun.’ As he always says, 'If the music ain’t fun and entertaining, for the folks standing around, dancing and watching it, then what’s the point?’
As well as running his own Bands;
donnie joe's American Swing
donnie can be seen and heard playing with;
The Brotherhood
The Matt Sage Trio
Kitty's Little Big Band (The Purramours)
Chapter Arts Jazz & Swing Quartet
As well as sitting in regularly with;
Capital City Big Band
Five Star Swing
and many many more ….
His wide ranging influences start in the Swing Jazz world with Mel Torme, Carmen McRea, Blossom Dearie, Dave Frishberg, Louis Prima, Etta Jones, Louis Jordan, Duke Ellington, Lambert Hendrix & Ross, and end elsewhere with the likes of Ernest Tubb, The Meters, Johnny Cash, Flat&Scruggs, Emmylou Harris, Jesse Fuller, The Allman Brothers, George Clinton's Parliament/Funkadelic, Steely Dan, Graham Central Station, Solomon Burke, Bob Dylan and a .... you get the idea. The list could go on and on and on ...
Coming to South Wales
After migrating to the South Wales in early 2003, the first thing donnie did was attend the local jazz jam session. At the now infamous Jazz Attic Sessions of the early noughties, hosted by the Cardiff Jazz Society at the Cafe Jazz, St Mary’s Street, Cardiff, he began the networking process. He quickly acquired a temporary double bass (a ‘plywood plunker’) with a little amp, as all his gear was in a container on a ship crossing the Atlantic. It wasn’t long before his name got around and he was working regularly on the local scene in clubs, pubs, restaurants, at regional festivals, and all sorts of functions gigs.
In 2004, donnie joined the Keith Little Band after doing a couple of gigs with them. Since arriving in the UK donnie has played with Linda Gail Lewis’ rock & roll outfit, played in entertainer Mike Doyle’s backing band, been featured in BBC commercial for the Brecon International Jazz Festival 2004, appeared with Celtic Manor Trio on Chris Evan’s ITV1 show, “OFI Sunday”, and appeared on S4C's afternoon chat show "Wedi 3" with the Welsh Jazz Trio ZWZAZ. From Inverness to Cornwall, Llandudno to Cardiff, he as already toured throughout much of the UK. The Keith Little Band has also taken him across the channel to festivals in Germany, Switzerland, and even playing for the Queen’s Birthday in Rome at the residence of the British Ambassador.
