Roy McGrath Remembranzas Quartet – Plena Julia

“It may be no surprise that many listeners may not have heard of the Puerto Rican tenor saxophonist Roy McGrath. But it is also no surprise that his writing and playing on Remembranzas is phenomenal. The entire repertoire – built around his Afro-Caribbean Jazz suite written to honour the Puerto Rican poet Julia de Burgos, at the behest of the Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center – is graced by Mr. McGrath’s conjuring moments of ink-dark tone textures of often mesmerising stillness that find their way into this music among the virtuoso fireworks is enough to lift the appeal of this release way beyond even the collector’s appeal of Afro-Caribbean music.” — Raul da Gama

• Read our CD Review · Roy McGrath · Remembranzas

“Plena Julia” by the Roy McGrath Remembranzas Quartet ft. Victor “Junito” Gonzalez

Roy McGrath – Saxophone
Bill Cessna – Piano
Joseph “Kitt” Lyles – Bass
Jonathon Wenzel – Drums
Victor “Junito” Gonzalez: Congas

Roy McGrath: http://www.roymcgrath.com
Video by Brian Schwab: http://www.schwabmusic.com
Recorded at Electrical Audio Studios in Chicago, IL Tracked/Mixed/Mastered by Scott Steinman of StudioMedia Recording Co.

Roy McGrath is a Chicago based tenor saxophonist, composer and bandleader. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico and educated in Boston, New Orleans and Chicago, Roy brings to bear these diverse influences in his playing and composing. In addition to leading and recording with his own jazz ensembles, he is a member of several others and an in-demand player in the city’s jazz, funk, Latin jazz and salsa scenes. He has led international tours to Mexico, Singapore, Korea and China. As a composer and arranger, Roy is firmly in the jazz tradition, but his Latin American heritage is an ever-present mind set, leading to wholly original works that are a true expression of who he is.