Biography
Puerto Rican-born, Chicago-based tenor saxophonist, multi-woodwind instrumentalist, composer, bandleader, and educator Roy McGrath continues to expand the reach of Afro-Caribbean jazz through his performances, compositions, and collaborations. His music bridges the folkloric traditions of Puerto Rico with the improvisational language of jazz, creating a voice that is both rooted in heritage and forward-looking in scope.
In 2025, McGrath released Magpie: The Music of Joe Clark on Entre Amigos Records. The album, recorded during the same sessions as his 2024 release Entre Amigos, pays tribute to Chicago trumpeter and composer Joe Clark, whose works McGrath performed extensively during his Asia tour. Magpie showcases McGrath’s expressive tenor sound and his ability to merge jazz and folkloric influences within contemporary ensemble writing.
Entre Amigos (November 15, 2024) captured the results of a month-long tour across Asia, during which McGrath refined sixteen compositions written and arranged collaboratively. Recorded immediately upon returning to Chicago, the album celebrates collective authorship and long-standing musical camaraderie. The two releases have been acclaimed by Paris Move, Chicago Jazz Magazine, The Arts Fuse, and Making a Scene for their compositional sophistication, rhythmic vitality, and ensemble precision.
In 2022, McGrath premiered Menjunje, a project exploring folkloric rhythms of Puerto Rico such as Bomba (Sicá, Yubá, Cuembé) and Plena, alongside Cuban styles including Guaguancó, Bolero, Cha-Cha-Cha, and Son. Menjunje was developed in partnership with Chicago-based cultural organizations including the Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center, the Puerto Rico Arts Alliance, the Walder Foundation, and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE). The group appeared at the Chicago Jazz Festival, Chicago Latin Jazz Festival, Glenwood Arts Festival, CU Jazz Festival, Mayfest, and Mole de Mayo Festival.
McGrath’s 2017 release, Remembranzas, earned a Latin Grammy nomination for its fusion of jazz harmony and the poetry of Julia de Burgos within the rhythmic frameworks of Bomba and other Puerto Rican styles. The project originated from Julia al Son de Jazz (2015), commissioned by the Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center, where McGrath served as Director of the Youth Afro-Caribbean Jazz Ensemble (2013–2018). He also led two major tribute performances that year: one honoring composer Rafael Hernández, featuring vocalist Chali Hernández, and another dedicated to Dizzy Gillespie’s United Nations Orchestra for the Chicago Latin Jazz Festival.
McGrath’s debut album as a leader, Martha (2014), was featured in the Jazz Institute of Chicago’s NextGEN Concert Series and awarded a DCASE grant to tour Mexico in 2015. Following the success of Martha, McGrath undertook four additional international tours to Singapore, Myanmar, South Korea, and China, establishing himself as a prominent cultural ambassador for Chicago’s jazz community.
A dedicated educator, McGrath has served as Artist in Residence at Roosevelt University (2025), the University of Puerto Rico (2025), and the College of DuPage (2024–2025), and as Guest Lecturer at the University of Chicago (2025). He has presented masterclasses across Asia through Dulwich College International’s Diversity Education Series, teaching in Shanghai, Suzhou, and Beijing on multiple tours in 2014, 2017, 2019, 2024, and 2025, as well as in Mexico City and at Universidad del Turabo in Puerto Rico (2013).
His earlier teaching appointments include Jazz Saxophone Instructor (Non-Majors) at Northwestern University (2013–2015), Afro-Caribbean Jazz Ensemble Instructor for After School Matters and the Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center (2016–2018), Woodwind and Brass Instructor at Flatts and Sharpe Music Academy (2013–2019), and Steel Band Instructor at William Hatch Elementary School (2016–2019).
McGrath’s commitment to arts education extends to his work with community programs such as Chicago’s Night Out in the Parks (2016–2019, 2023–2024) and his leadership in multicultural youth ensembles. Earlier in his career, he performed with the Evanston Symphony Orchestra and toured nationally with ensembles including Easy Company and the Gustavo Cortiñas Quintet, appearing throughout the U.S. Gulf Coast and East Coast.
He has received multiple grants and fellowships from institutions including the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), the Walder Foundation, the South Arts Jazz Road Program, the Jazz Foundation of America, and the Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center, recognizing his contributions to performance, composition, and cultural exchange.
McGrath holds a Master of Music in Jazz Studies and Saxophone Performance from Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music (2014), where he studied under Victor Goines and Chris Madsen, and a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Performance from Loyola University New Orleans (2009), where he studied with Tony Dagradi and Delfeayo Marsalis. He was a full scholarship recipient at the Berklee College of Music Five-Week Summer Performance Program (2006) and graduated with honors from Colegio San José in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico (2006). He has attended masterclasses with leading artists including Ron Carter, Miguel Zenón, Wynton Marsalis, Sherman Irby, Eddie Gómez, David Sánchez, and Chris Potter.
Through his work as a performer, composer, and educator, Roy McGrath continues to build bridges between traditions, cultures, and generations. His artistry reflects the intersection of Puerto Rican identity and the evolving language of jazz—an ongoing dialogue between island and city, memory and innovation.