Jay Sweet is a bassist, educator, writer, and researcher known for his extensive contributions to the music industry. His diverse career includes performances and recordings with notable artists such as Ted Curson (Blue Note Recording Artist), Norman Simmons (Jazz Legend), and Ed Jurdi (The Band Of Heathens). Sweet teaches bass instruction, Jazz History, American Music History, and Music Appreciation at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey. He has also taught related courses at Middlesex College and Rutgers University.

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In addition to his teaching career, Jay Sweet is the owner and director of Sweet Music Academy (Howell, NJ), where he and his staff have successfully instructed over 4,000 students over twenty years. As a contributing editor of Jersey Jazz Magazine, he keeps a pulse on the history and latest developments in the jazz scene. He has interviewed legends such as George Benson, Ron Carter, Stanley Clarke, and Joshua Redman.

 

Sweet has authored books, including A History of American Music: An Origin Story 1750-1950 (Kendall Hunt), and is set to release Ray Brown: His Life and Music (Equinox Publishing) in 2024. Jay Sweet holds degrees from Berklee College of Music (B.M.) and Rutgers University (M.M.). His popular podcasts, 30 Albums For 30 Years (1964-1994), and The Jazz Real Book contribute to his widespread influence in the music community.