ABOUT MARTINA

“DaSilva inhabits the songs as such that her own personal signature tends to transcend genre" -Selwyn Harris, Jazzwise

New York City vocalist Martina DaSilva is a jazz and multimedia artist that captivates audiences with her signature blend of daring technical virtuosity and expressive emotional sensitivity. Her musicality transcends conventional genre labeling; in blending the classic with the modern, she flawlessly combines timeless repertoire with elegant original compositions, and ear-catching rearrangements through a jazz lens.

Born and raised in New York City, DaSilva studied classical voice and jazz at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School, and later pursued her undergraduate degree at McGill University and the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music. After graduation, DaSilva became an integral part of New York City’s growing trad jazz scene as both bandleader and vocalist. A Brazilian-American, DaSilva speaks fluent Portuguese, and is one of the most impassioned interpreters of bossa nova in the New York jazz scene.

As a soloist and bandleader, Martina has received high praise for her performances at the Kennedy Center, the Bern International Jazz Festival, the Blue Note Jazz Festival, the NYC Hot Jazz Festival, Jazz At Lincoln Center’s Generations in Jazz Festival, and the NY Winter Jazzfest. DaSilva continues to perform locally and nationally at jazz festivals, clubs, and concert halls alongside her recording endeavors.

DaSilva collaborated with Scott Bradlee at Postmodern Jukebox, where she recorded “Beautiful” (adapted from Christina Aguilera’s original performance) for their Sepia is the New Orange record (2019). She performed globally with PMJ as they went on tour.

In 2019, DaSilva collaborated with Dan Chmielinski to compose, record, and produce a Holiday album, A Very ChimyTina Christmas. Primarily in duo format, but featuring notable guest artists, The New York Times reported: “The vocalist Martina DaSilva and the bassist Dan Chmielinski are two 20-somethings with flexible chops, a gut-level creative connection and an expansive view of the Christmas songbook."

During the pandemic, DaSilva began arranging and composing a number of pieces for her LIVING ROOM series. Producing on a shoestring budget, DaSilva took on every production role: composing, arranging, directing, designing, and editing each video. Bringing in figures from the local New York City jazz community to her living room, DaSilva was able to create music opportunities in an eclectic and intimate performance space that was able to showcase her artistic philosophies to the rest of the world. In removing the distance between spectator and musician jazz musicians were able to be documented in a contemporary way that could bring in more audiences. In the span of a little over a year, DaSilva released four records: LIVING ROOM 1, 2, 3, and Martina & Casey, all with the distinct visual flair that comes from recording in her living room.

In 2022, DaSilva worked with Dan Chmielinski again to create Constellations. Rob Lester of Talkin’ Broadway praised their performance, emphasizing that “It takes astute musicality–and some bravery–for a vocalist to consistently traverse songs' musical maps and side journeys with just a bass. Martina DaSilva is that rare kind of artist." As the ChimyTina duo has “shown a pattern of making great music together," they ventured onto create their next album, Milky Way, which featured two Martina DaSilva originals which Bass Magazine expressed how they “present an ethereal theme to the release, and demonstrate her stunning acuity for composition."

This September, DaSilva will release her latest project, The 1905. The fourth installment of the LIVING ROOM series, and born out of a love for the jazz community and those that create inclusive spaces for musicians, DaSilva traded her living room for The 1905, a jazz club owned by Aaron Barnes in Portland, Oregon. The atmosphere is just electric, and serves as the perfect backdrop to her compilation of original arrangements to American songbook classics.

As Will Friedwald of The New York Sun says, Martina’s “voice seems to work in any context, with any partners, on any song. Maybe there’s a song out there that Martina DaSilva can’t sing, or someone whom she can’t sing with, but I’d have to think hard to find them." DaSilva continuously reimagines what it means to be a musician, and effectively transcends genres and practices in a way that allows her to intentionally interact with her fan base that is drawn to her distinctive style, and not just what jazz is “meant” to be.