By Rich Monetti****Growing up in São Paolo, Flavio Silva poured most of his time into music and Jiu Jitsu. But the Brazilian had to decide eventually where to focus his efforts, so when he landed a few professional gigs at age 18, he acknowledged music as the right direction. As a bonus, his martial arts skills also had him feeling pretty good if things ever went awry at a gig. Now living in New York City, and up against the mighty NYC subway system, Silva sometimes feels overmatched in a commute between Harlem and Brooklyn. But his musical chops help him to come out swinging. “From the 125th, that’s a pretty bad ride,” says Flavio. “So I wrote ‘Brooklyn Bound,’ which has an intense vibe that relates to how that train works.” It’s a number that evokes a common feeling for all his Brooklyn compatriots.
But his writing process is a bit more even keeled than a subway ride. “Sometimes, I’m practicing and maybe a fragment comes to me,” he says. “Then I keep playing and practicing until I develop something.”
His music as an interest first emerged as a Michael Jackson fan, and had him flirting with the guitar at nine years old. Jimmy Page being the next influence shouldn’t surprise, but his creative outlet opened up closer to home. Mom and Dad played a lot of fusion and Flavio’s interest in “funky things” provided the perfect groundwork to combine all of his musical interests. His music began to spill over from mere interest into the public arena by age 15. Silva started playing in the church choir; a strong scene centered around the church also introduced him to his first professionals. “I started to play with some of those musicians,” he says.
Eventually, Silva dialed back professionally and stepped up educationally. “I went to college in São Paolo, then studied in the Netherlands and got a Masters degree from Queens College here in New York,” Silva says. The college experience does make for some tricky math in his estimation, though. He’s certain musicians can learn as much playing live and taking private lessons than through formal schooling. The cost of college versus on-the-job training isn’t one that can be easily measured. Still, he believes the chance to network and be inspired by fellow students and teachers can make up for many shortfalls. “It all depends on what you do with school,” he says.
Either way, he had no problem adjusting to NYC and easily mixed in with the similar vibe São Paolo shares with the Big Apple. At the same time, Flavio seamlessly joined forces with many artists who take side gigs. “I became a dog walker,” he reveals.
Playing venues such as Smalls Jazz Club, The Jazz Standard and Minton’s Playhouse hasn’t left him on a short leash and is preferable to him than trying to nail perfection in the studio. “When they clap and react that gives back,” he explains. “You feel the energy.” Performance has seen Flavio sharing global jazz kinetics at the Kennedy Center, North Sea Jazz Festival in the Netherlands and Langnau Jazz Nights in Switzerland, where he’s worked side-by-side with the likes of Antonio Hart, Bruce Williams, Seamus Blake, Victor Wooten and Elijah Jamal Balbed. Not getting lost in translation, Silva knows real collaboration means a musical conversation and not just a collection of instruments taking their turns talking. “When people just play their own thing, they’re not really connecting and it doesn’t have unity,” he says assertively.
Yet, Silva keeps it together in the studio too. “Break Free” was the title track to his second release in 2018 and helped him cast off some “weird stuff” he was going through. “I just broke free,” he affirms. This liberating feeling portends some new songs planned for next year. But whether the chords come together or not, his guitar has him always looking forward and up. “Music gives me hope and joy,” Silva concludes.
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