Mario Alberto SILVA
Trumpeter, composer & educator from the Mission District. A top‑call trumpeter in Northern California, on stage and in the studio, with a sound rooted in Afro‑Cuban ritual, jazz, funk & Nicaraguan soul.
Trumpeter, composer & educator from the Mission District. A top‑call trumpeter in Northern California, on stage and in the studio, with a sound rooted in Afro‑Cuban ritual, jazz, funk & Nicaraguan soul.
Today Silva is a top‑call trumpeter in Northern California, on stage and in the studio for films, commercials and albums in many genres.
For more than 20 years he has toured Europe, Japan, India, Indonesia, Latin America and all over the United States as a featured soloist, playing festivals from WOMAD, Sziget and the Montreal Jazz Festival to Central Park SummerStage, Outside Lands and Stern Grove.
He played trumpet on Morgan Heritage's Strictly Roots, the Grammy‑winning Best Reggae Album of 2015, and on the soundtrack of Boots Riley's film Sorry to Bother You with The Coup. He has served as musical director for Cuban pianist Chuchito Valdés and has performed and recorded with Rupa & the April Fishes, Nicaragua's Grammy‑nominated La Cuneta Son Machín, the Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra, Bang Data, La Misa Negra, Pellejo Seco, and Jesús Díaz & the Bay Area Afro‑Cuban All Stars.
His own music starts in the Mission District, where he was born and raised by parents from Diriamba, Nicaragua. “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.” His debut album, Pan American Sonata (2019), brings it all together.
Silva's trumpet technique echoes the sound of a seasoned singer who delivers emotional power through nuance & tone.
— Greg Landau, ProducerSilva holds a Master of Arts in Jazz Trumpet Performance from CSU East Bay and a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Performance from San Francisco State University. At Las Positas College he directs the jazz combos and teaches applied trumpet, and he directed the college Big Band for six years. He coaches brass at Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts and Heritage High School, and works with developing players, professionals and trumpet teachers through Mario Silva Trumpet Students.
featuring Chuchito Valdés
A fusion of Afro‑Cuban ritual drumming, funk, EDM, ragtime, jazz and instrumental pop — paying homage to the trumpet players and composers who came before. A modern, fresh take on Latin Jazz, built for a broad audience.
Live at Yoshi's with Cuban pianist Chuchito Valdés.
Recorded live in the studio with Bay Area timba band Pellejo Seco, featuring Yuniel Jiménez.
Mario's jazz trio, recorded during his residency at Biscuits & Blues in downtown San Francisco.
Live cuts, behind‑the‑scenes from the studio, and full performances with collaborators across the Bay Area & beyond.
A Spotify playlist of recordings with Mario on trumpet, from his own projects to sessions with the bands above.
Open in SpotifyMario has taught trumpet since 2000 and has directed big bands, jazz combos, orchestras and community ensembles across the Bay Area. His IMAGE method changes how players think about practice, so they can keep teaching themselves through guided exercises.
Essays on music, the trumpet and teaching. The Substack is coming soon.