Martina DaSilva
Background information
BornNew York City
GenresJazz
Occupation(s)Musician, singer
Instrument(s)Voice, ukulele, tenor guitar, guitar
LabelsLa Reserve
Websitemartinadasilva.com

Martina DaSilva is a jazz vocalist, composer and arranger. In addition to being a leading member of the band The Ladybugs, DaSilva has worked with Jon Batiste, Postmodern Jukebox, Gunhild Carling and Bria Skonberg.[1][2]

Biography

Early life

Raised in New York City, DaSilva was born to a Brazilian father and American mother. She speaks fluent Portuguese. As a child, she performed in local musical theatre productions and eventually studied both classical music and jazz at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School, graduating in 2009 (alongside Josh Holcomb, Zack O’Farrill, Adam O'Farrill, Joanna Sternberg, and others).[1]

DaSilva initially attended McGill University in Montréal, but opted to return to New York City and complete her undergraduate degree at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in 2011. She studied formally with Andres Andrade, Peter Eldridge and Neal Miner. During this time, DaSilva also became heavily involved in New York City's reburgeoning early jazz scene and performed regularly throughout the city as both a bandleader and vocalist.[3]

Musical career

In 2013, DaSilva formed her band The Ladybugs through a chance encounter at the Hotel Chantelle in New York City's Lower East Side. While filling in for another vocalist at the hotel's rooftop restaurant, the venue's manager approached DaSilva and asked if she had a unique concept band that could perform regularly on Sundays. Although she had no such group at the time, she responded that she led an "all-female 1920s band" called The Ladybugs. She quickly assembled a group and initially performed as the band's sole vocalist before being joined by vocalist Kate Davis. The duo augmented with ukulele and snare drum, eventually integrating trombonists Joe McDonough and Rob Edwards and additional members on guitar and bass. Davis eventually left the group to pursue her solo work and was replaced by current frontline vocalist Vanessa Perea. Repertoire has included music from the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s and 1950s as well as songs drawn from DaSilva's and Perea's Latin-American heritage and Disney classics.[4][5][2]

DaSilva was singled out as one of the most notable jazz vocalists of her generation in a 2015 article published by Vanity Fair.[6]

In 2018, she was recruited by Scott Bradlee to join Postmodern Jukebox. She has since performed globally with the group and has been notably featured on the group's single Beautiful (adapted from its original performance by Christina Aguilera).[7][8][9]

DaSilva collaborated with acoustic bassist Dan Chmielinski in 2019 to compose, record, produce and release the holiday-inspired album A Very ChimyTina Christmas. The recording primarily featured the pair in a duo format, but also included guest artists Lucas Pino, Ben Wolfe, Joel Ross and Gabe Schnider. The album featured DaSilva's original song "Diamonds and Pearls" and a music video cover of Wham!'s "Last Christmas". A Very ChimyTina Christmas received critical acclaim in the New York Times and Rolling Stone Magazine, among others.[10][11][12][13]

DaSilva has been a frequent musical guest and contributor for Fireside Mystery Theatre, a podcast specializing in historical theatrical performances.[14] She has also performed regularly with immersive-theatre troupe Little Cinema.[15]

Early in 2020, DaSilva began inviting friends and collaborators over to her apartment to shoot live performances. After organizing and coordinating the band, music, and footage, she would release it on social media. These recordings quickly developed into full imaginative albums which encapsulated her next three LIVING ROOM releases (2021 and 2023).

DaSilva performed in Adam Neely's analysis of "The Girl From Ipanema" in 2020 which received over 4.2 million views on YouTube. She later contributed to Neely's analysis of "Castaways" from The Backyardigans in 2021, which amassed nearly 3 million views.[16]

In 2022, DaSilva collaborated with Dan Chmielinski again, and they released their Constellations album. Constellations featured regular and new guest artists such as Marquis Hill, Ken Kubota, Andrew Renfroe, Grace Kelly, and Joel Ross. Containing two Martina DaSilva originals, "Twin Flame" and "My Universe," Bass Magazine praised DaSilva's "stunning acuity for composition."[17] The pair has been able to consistently produce a unique and touching sound with their thoughtful arrangements. In 2023, Milky Way was released and featured Gabe Schnider, Chad LB, Joel Ross, Lucas Pino, Sasha Berliner, Dida Pelled, Michael Stephenson, and Grace Kelly.

Discography

As leader

Album artist Title Year Label
Martina DaSilva & Dan Chmielinski ChimyTina and Chill 2020 Independent
The Ladybugs Songs We Love: Volume 1 2019 Independent
Martina DaSilva & Dan Chmielinski A Very ChimyTina Christmas 2019 Outside in Music[10][11]
The Ladybugs Blue Christmas 2017 Independent
The Ladybugs The Ladybugs 2015 Independent[5]
Martina DaSilva Living Room 1 2021 La Reserve
Martina DaSilva Living Room 2 2021 La Reserve
Martina DaSilva & Casey Abrams Martina & Casey 2021 La Reserve
Martina DaSilva & Dan Chmielinski Constellations 2022 La Reserve Records[17][18]
Martina DaSilva Living Room 3 2023 La Reserve
Martina DaSilva & Dan Chmielinski Milky Way 2023 La Reserve

As guest

Album artist Title Year Label
Postmodern Jukebox Sepia is the New Orange 2019 Mud Hut Digital[19]
Ricky Alexander Strike Up the Band 2019 Outside in Music[20]
Russell Hall The Feeling of Romance 2019 Independent
Steven Feifke Prologue 2021 La Reserve
Adam Neely Castaways 2021 Independent
Tony Glausi Historia de un Amor 2020 Independent
Matt Block Goodbye (Again) 2022 La Reserve
Steven Feifke My Foolish Heart 2023 La Reserve

Personal life

DaSilva is married to Lucky Chops trombonist Josh Holcomb.[21]

References

  1. 1 2 Rentner, Simon. "Celebrate 'A Very ChimyTina Christmas' with Martina DaSilva and Dan Chmielinski". wbgo.org. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  2. 1 2 "The Ladybugs Do Disney". NPR. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Martina DaSilva, voice Fall '13 Ensemble & Recital Series New School Jazz". newschool.edu. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  4. ↑ Bourne, Michael. "The Ladybugs Celebrate Notes and Tones at Hudson County Community College". WBGO. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  5. 1 2 Lorge, Suzanne. "Eponymous: The Ladybugs" (PDF). Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  6. ↑ Katsobashvili, Michael (November 10, 2015). "The Jazz Youth-Quake: Others on the Upswing". Vanity Fair. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  7. ↑ Alvarez, Tom (October 22, 2018). "Rollicking Energy Pervades The Palladium During PMJ Concert". Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  8. ↑ Baker, Derek. "It Was A September To Remember with Postmodern Jukebox". Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  9. ↑ Bailey, Michael (December 10, 2019). "Martina DaSilva: A Very Chimytina Christmas". Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  10. 1 2 Ratliff, Connor. "89 New Christmas Albums of 2019, Reviewed". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  11. 1 2 Pareles, John. "New Holiday Music Playlist: Tunes That Soothe, Provoke and Share a Joke". The New York Times. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  12. ↑ Micucci, Matt. "Joe Pesci, Makaya McCraven, Wynton Marsalis & More: The Week in Jazz". Jazziz. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  13. ↑ Hélary, Sébastien. "Watch the Video for ChimyTina's Cover of Wham!'s "Last Christmas"". Nextbop. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  14. ↑ Piccinoe, Anthony (March 27, 2018). "Review: "The Secret Files of Nellie Bly" at Fireside Mystery Theatre". Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  15. ↑ Mital, Sachyn (November 14, 2017). "pics: 'Twin Peaks: The Return' provides striptease fodder for Pink Room Burlesque". Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  16. ↑ Why Castaways is a Masterpiece in Songwriting, retrieved June 5, 2023
  17. 1 2 Magazine, Bass (June 6, 2022). "Bassist Dan Chmielinski and Vocalist Martina DaSilva Announce New Album 'Constellations'". Bass Magazine - The Future of Bass. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  18. ↑ "Turn On the YouTube and Tune In to Martina DaSilva". The New York Sun. June 6, 2022. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  19. ↑ "Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox – Sepia Is the New Orange". Jazz Archives. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  20. ↑ Hélary, Sébastien. "Strike Up The Band Ricky Alexander". Jazz Lives. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  21. ↑ "Dreamy Jazz - The Wave". The Wave. June 21, 2019. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
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