Frederick Tillis was born in 1930 in Galveston, Texas. He is Professor Emeritus of Music Composition at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He has written more than 150 compositions, including both the European classical and jazz traditions. His catalog includes works for symphony orchestra, jazz orchestra, choral music, spiritual fantasies, and chamber ensembles. He has published twelve books of poetry and performed internationally as a jazz saxophonist.

A Latin American Suite for String Quartet was written in 2006. It is based on themes that have been utilized in a suite of five pieces for chamber jazz ensemble, and also four songs for voice and piano. Latin rhythms are a characteristic feature in the four pieces of the suite. The melodic material is lyrical, with prominent distinction of themes in each movement of the work. Idiomatic expressions, contrasts between arco, pizzicata, and muted passages are integral textures dramatized by the string quartet.