Heather McKay is a Berklee College of Music graduate who is equally comfortable performing, composing or teaching. Her true passion is in composition.

Heather has played just about every style of music—from jazz, pop, rock, and funk to Persian, Caribbean, Afro-Cuban, gospel, and blues. Her love of Latin jazz came from her best friend and bass player, Adri Galler Lastra. She and Adri would sit for hours playing Latin tunes from the real book or jamming on salsa and other Afro-Cuban grooves. Adri introduced Heather to Maestro Afredo Mohica. Heather joined Mohica’s Latin jazz band, where she contributed a couple of her own compositions.

Heather also fell in love with the Brazilian rhythms by listening to and playing with another bass player and good friend, Leonardo Lucini. Leonardo would go on to become an integral part of her first CD, “Life Got In The Way”.

 Heather has played rhythm or lead guitar for original music and cover bands throughout the Washington/Baltimore area. She has performed with Alfredo Mojica (Latin jazz), 2 Funkin Heavy (rock, rhythm and blues), Trio de Janeiro (jazz), and Windspirit (jazz fusion). Origem (Brazilian jazz), Caribash (African and Caribbean music), Winfield Parker (gospel), and Said Orchestra (Persian music) backing well-known Persian performers Ebi and Sharok. She also enjoys performing as a solo guitarist.

Heather has performed in venues throughout the Baltimore/Washington area, including the Kennedy Center, the Smithsonian, the East Coast Jazz Festival, the Pier 6 Concert Pavilion, and Blues Alley. She has also performed in the Caribbean, Canada, Las Vegas, New York City, Miami, and Puerto Rico.

After 25 years of playing gigs in various bands, Heather decided to take all she had absorbed through playing all styles of music and concentrate on composing. She wanted to create a CD with a Latin jazz flair that grooved as hard in different meters as it did in 4/4. This project was years in the making, with the tunes evolving along the way. Thanks to the patience and dedication of all involved, it was finally ready for release in January 2025