Mario Alberto SILVA

Born & raised in the Mission District of San Francisco to parents from Diriamba, Nicaragua — Silva composes music as a sonata of the Americas: a journey through the rituals, rhythms & spirits that conceived his artistic persona.

“I come from a strong Nicaraguan family, rooted in complex mythology and spiritual traditions,” Silva says. “I also grew up in the Mission, which offered me a range of powerful influences — from Aztec dancing to Afro‑Cuban Santería and everything in between — and it all shines through on the album.”

Compositionally, Silva fuses Afro‑Cuban ritual drumming, funk, EDM, Dixieland, jazz and instrumental pop while paying homage to the trumpet players and composers who came before him. The result is a modern take on traditional Latin Jazz — fresh, clean, and built for a broad audience.

A multi‑faceted musician for more than 20 years, Silva played trumpet on Morgan Heritage's Strictly Roots, the Grammy‑winning Best Reggae Album of 2015, and has shared stages with the Bay Area Afro‑Cuban All Stars, Bang Data, La Cuneta Son Machín, Rupa & the April Fishes, and Cuban piano virtuoso Chuchito Valdés.

He has toured Europe, Japan, India, Indonesia, Latin America and all over the United States as a featured soloist, and has recorded for films, commercials and albums across many genres. Today he is a top‑call trumpet player in Northern California, still active on stage and in the studio.

Silva also teaches. He is trumpet instructor at Las Positas College and brass coach at Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts and Heritage High School, and works with professional players and trumpet teachers through Mario Silva Trumpet Students.

On the heels of a Master's in Jazz Performance, Silva delivers a project that celebrates the raw and intricate elements of his studies, practice, culture & spirituality — grounded in the original sound of the San Francisco Bay Area.