Café is the stage name of Edson Aparecido da Silva, sometimes credited as Edson da Silva or Café da Silva, a

percussionist A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...

, singer,

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

, and

music producer A record producer or music producer is a music creating project's overall supervisor whose responsibilities can involve a range of creative and technical leadership roles. Typically the job involves hands-on oversight of recording sessions; ensu ...

born in Villa Maria,

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

, Brazil. He moved to the U.S. in 1985. He has recorded with

Chuck Mangione Charles Frank Mangione ( ; born November 29, 1940) is an American flugelhorn player, trumpeter and composer. He came to prominence as a member of Art Blakey's band in the 1960s, and later co-led the Jazz Brothers with his brother, Gap Mangione, ...

Steve Winwood Stephen Lawrence Winwood (born 12 May 1948) is an English musician and songwriter whose genres include blue-eyed soul, rhythm and blues, blues rock, and pop rock. Though primarily a guitarist, keyboard player, and vocalist prominent for his dis ...

Jon Lucien Lucien Leopold Harrigan (January 8, 1942 – August 18, 2007), known professionally as Jon Lucien, was a singer from Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. Life and career Born in Tortola in 1942, Lucien was raised in St. Thomas. His parents we ...

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, Rob Mounsey's Flying Monkey Orchestra, Edu Lobo, Batacoto,

Gilberto Gil Gilberto Passos Gil Moreira (; born 26 June 1942), is a Brazilian singer-songwriter and politician, known for both his musical innovation and political activism. From 2003 to 2008, he served as Brazil's Ministry of Culture (Brazil), Minister of ...

with

Ernie Watts Ernest James Watts (born October 23, 1945) is an American jazz and R&B saxophonist who plays soprano, alto, and tenor saxophone. He has worked with Charlie Haden's Quartet West and toured with the Rolling Stones. On Frank Zappa's album '' ...

Paquito d'Rivera Francisco de Jesús Rivera Figueras (born 4 June 1948), known as Paquito D'Rivera, is a Cuban-American alto saxophonist, clarinetist and composer. He was a member of the Cuban songo band Irakere and, since the 1980s, he has established him ...

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, Baden Powell,

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, Joyce Moreno, Judy Niemack,

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Herbie Mann Herbert Jay Solomon (April 16, 1930 – July 1, 2003), known by his stage name Herbie Mann, was an American jazz Flute, flute player and important early practitioner of world music. Early in his career, he also played tenor saxophone and clarinet ...

Ana Caram Ana Lucia Ribeiro Caram (born 1 October 1958) is a Brazilian singer, guitarist, and flautist who sings jazz, samba, and bossa nova music. Caram was born in São Paulo to a family versed in musical expression. She graduated from São Paulo Univers ...

, Bireli Lagrene,

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with

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

Sérgio Mendes Sérgio Santos Mendes (; 11 February 1941 – 5 September 2024) was a Brazilian musician. His career took off with worldwide hits by his band Brasil '66. He released 35 albums and was known for playing bossa nova, often mixed with funk. He ...

Randy Brecker Randal Edward Brecker (born November 27, 1945) is an American trumpeter, flugelhornist, and composer. His versatility has made him a popular studio musician who has recorded with acts in jazz, rock music, rock, and R&B. Early life Brecker was ...

, Nilson Matta, Roni Ben-Hur, and

Rachel Portman Rachel Mary Berkeley Portman (born 11 December 1960)), a collection of original pieces for piano, violin and cello, with Portman playing the piano. In 2023 she released a second album ''Beyond the Screen – Film Works on Piano'' which features ...

. He has appeared with

Chico Buarque Francisco Buarque de Hollanda (born 19 June 1944), popularly known simply as Chico Buarque (), is a Brazilian singer-songwriter, guitarist, composer, playwright, writer, and poet. He is best known for his music, which often includes social, econom ...

Milton Nascimento Milton Silva Campos do Nascimento (; born October 26, 1942), also known as Bituca, is a Brazilian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Nascimento has recorded 32 studio albums and has won five Grammy Awards, including Best World Music ...

, Simone,

James Last James Last (, ; born Hans Last; 17 April 1929 – 9 June 2015) was a German composer and big band leader of the James Last Orchestra. Initially a jazz bassist, his trademark "happy music" made his numerous albums best-sellers in Germany and ...

, Philippe Saisse, Sadao Watanabe, the New York Samba Band,

Roberta Flack Roberta Cleopatra Flack (February 10, 1937 – February 24, 2025) was an American singer and pianist known for her emotive, genre-blending ballads that spanned R&B, jazz, Folk music, folk, and pop and contributed to the birth of the quiet storm ...

, Tania Maria,

Larry Coryell Larry Coryell (born Lorenz Albert Van DeLinder III; April 2, 1943 – February 19, 2017) was an American jazz guitarist, widely considered the "godfather of fusion". Alongside Gábor Szabó, he was a pioneer in melding jazz, country and rock ...

, Mor Thiam,

Gato Barbieri Leandro "Gato" Barbieri (November 28, 1932 – April 2, 2016) was an Argentine jazz tenor saxophonist who rose to fame during the free jazz movement in the 1960s and is known for his Latin jazz recordings of the 1970s. His nickname, Gato, is Spa ...

, Vinx, Pepeu Gomes, Michael Franks,

Harry Belafonte Harry Belafonte ( ; born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927 – April 25, 2023) was an American singer, actor, and civil rights activist who popularized calypso music with international audiences in the 1950s and 1960s. Belafonte ...

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English musician. He is known as the lead singer and one of the founder members of The Rolling Stones. Jagger has co-written most of the band's songs with lead guitarist Keith Richards; Jagge ...

, Margareth Menezes, Ashford & Simpson with

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Michael Brecker Michael Leonard Brecker (March 29, 1949 – January 13, 2007) was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. He was awarded 15 Grammy Awards as a performer and composer, received an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music in ...

Paul Winter Paul Winter (born August 31, 1939) is an American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader. He is a pioneer of world music and earth music, which interweaves the voices of the wild with instrumental voices from classical, jazz and world music. The ...

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, Jose Neto,

Betty Buckley Betty Buckley (born July 3, 1947)LuKanic, Steven A (1995). Film Actors Guide'. Los Angeles, CA: Lone Eagle Publishing. p. 55. . is an American actress and singer. Buckley is the winner of a Tony Award, and was nominated for an additional Ton ...

Onaje Allan Gumbs Onaje Allan Gumbs (born Allan Bentley Gumbs, September 3, 1949 – April 6, 2020) ...

, Alex Foster,

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, Manfredo Fest, David Kikoski, Aydin Esen, Vinicius Cantuaria,

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, Tony Cedras, and Dianne Reeves. He composed the piece "Three Express", which he performed with Nilson Matta, Roni Ben-Hur, and

Victor Lewis Victor Lewis (born May 20, 1950) is an American jazz drummer, composer, and educator. Early life Victor Lewis was born on May 20, 1950, in Omaha, Nebraska. His father, Richard Lewis, who played saxophone and mother, Camille, a pianist-vocalist ...

on their 2011 Motéma Music release, ''Mojave''. The same year, he released his first album as leader, ''Meditations with the Orishas''.

Biography

da Silva was born in Villa Maria in the state of

. He became interested in percussion at the age of 8 when he heard

Afro-Brazilian Afro-Brazilians (; ), also known as Black Brazilians (), are Brazilians of total or predominantly Sub-Saharan African ancestry. Most multiracial Brazilians also have a range of degree of African ancestry. Brazilians whose African features are mo ...

music at the spiritual gatherings he attended with his parents. He trained classically for the Municipal Orchestra of São Paulo, but began to follow his passion, playing jazz and popular music at clubs. He then studied theatre technique at the Villa Lobos School in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

and performed for the Ministry of Education and Culture of Brazil in the National Arts Program, "Seis e Meia." In 1980, he began touring with notable jazz artists. He is a founding member of three music acts, Café Quintet, Fôlia de Reis, and Ave. Brazil. He also manufactures his own metallic percussion instruments for sale to other musicians. He also has his own record label, Café Percussion Records.

Discography

As leader

*''Meditations with the Orishas'' (2011)

As sideman

– ''Luz'' (

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

, 1982) * Marcio Montarroyos – Samba Solstice (Black Sun, 1993) *

– ''

'' ( A&M, 1983) * Kleiton & Kledir – ''Kleiton & Kledir'' (

Ariola Ariola (also known as Ariola Records, Ariola Express, Ariola-Eurodisc and BMG Ariola) is a German record label. In the late 1980s, it was a subsidiary label of the Bertelsmann Music Group, which in turn has become a part of the international ...

, 1983) * Dalto – ''Pessoa'' (

EMI EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At t ...

, 1983) * Ivan Lins – ''Juntos'' (

Philips Koninklijke Philips N.V. (), simply branded Philips, is a Dutch multinational health technology company that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, its world headquarters have been situated in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarter ...

, 1984) * Alex Malheiros – ''Atlantic Forest'' (

Milestone A milestone is a numbered marker placed on a route such as a road, railway, railway line, canal or border, boundary. They can indicate the distance to towns, cities, and other places or landmarks like Mileage sign, mileage signs; or they c ...

, 1985) * Bireli Lagrene – ''Inferno'' (

Blue Note Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group. Established in 1939 by German-Jewish emigrants Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it derived its name from the blue no ...

, 1987) *

– ''Aquamarine'' (

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

, 1987) * ''

Plus James Last Orchestra'' (1987) *

– '' Cross Currents'' (

Denon is a Japanese electronics company dealing with audio equipment. The Denon brand came from a merger of Denki Onkyo (not to be confused with the other Onkyo) and others in 1939. It originally started as Nippon Chikuonki Shoukai in 1910 by Freder ...

, 1988) * Bernard Lavilliers – ''O Gringo'' ( Barclay, 1989) * Danny Gottlieb – ''Whirlwind'' (Atlantic, 1989) * Eliane Elias – ''

So Far So Close ''So Far So Close'' is the fourth studio album by Brazilian jazz artist Eliane Elias. It was released in 1989 via Blue Note label. She wrote eight compositions for this album. This is her first album recorded via Blue Note. Reception In his revi ...

'' (Blue Note, 1989) *

– ''Caminho De Casa'' ( Chesky, 1990) * Joyce – ''Music Inside'' ( Verve Forecast, 1990) *

Roseanna Vitro Roseanna Elizabeth Vitro (born February 28, 1951) is a jazz singer and teacher from Arkansas. Biography Born Roseanna Elizabeth VitroScott Fredrickson and Gary W. Kennedy.Vitro (Wickliffe), Roseanna" In ''The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz'', 2 ...

– '' Reaching for the Moon'' (1991) *

– '' Uh-Oh'' (

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, 1992) * Sophie B. Hawkins – '' Tongues and Tails'' ( Columbia, 1992) *

/ The Paul Winter Consort – '' Solstice Live!'' (Living Music, 1993) * Eliane Elias – '' Paulistana'' (Blue Note, 1993) *

Nando Lauria Nando Lauria (born 11 May 1960) is a Brazilian singer and guitarist. Biography At the age of seven, Lauria picked up the ''violão'' (Brazilian acoustic guitar). He was raised in a musical family—his older brother played electric guitar in a ...

– ''Points of View'' (1994) * Flying Monkey Orchestra – ''Mango Theory'' (Monkeyville, 1995) * William Galison and

Toninho Horta Antônio Maurício Horta de Melo (born December 2, 1948) is a Brazilian jazz guitarist and vocalist. In addition to composing and performing his own work, Horta has worked for many years as arranger or sideman for Brazilian artists such as E ...

– "

Ave Maria The Hail Mary or Ave Maria (from its first words in Latin), also known as the Angelic or Angelical Salutation, is a traditional Catholic prayer addressing Mary, mother of Jesus, Mary, the mother of Jesus. The prayer is based on two biblical pa ...

" on ''The Carols of Christmas: A Windham Hill Collection'' ( Windham Hill, 1996) * Eliane Elias – '' The Three Americas'' (Blue Note, 1996) * Nick Brignola – '' Poinciana'' (Reservoir, 1997) * Eliane Elias – '' Eliane Elias Sings Jobim'' (Blue Note, 1998) *

– '' Beloved'' (soundtrack) (1999) * Saudacão Aos Orixás featuring Vera Mara – ''Orixás / Pancho / Siku'' (

Ibadan Ibadan (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and most populous city of Oyo State, in Nigeria. It is the List of Nigerian cities by population, third-largest city by population in Nigeria after Lagos and Kano (city), Kano, with a total populatio ...

, 1999) *

– ''The Feeling's Back'' (Chesky, 1999) * Submission– "Women Beat Their Men" (Dripping Wet, 2000) * Bernadette Brown – ''Love Life'' (2000) * Nancy Monroe - ''The Love Within'', (mja Records, 2001)All about jazz
/ref> * Nicki Parrott and Lisa Parrott – ''The Awabakal Suite'' (2001) * Michelle Pirret – ''Somewhere in the World'' (2002) * Bob Baldwin – ''Standing Tall'' (2002) * Michael Franks – "Somewhere in the Rain" on ''Over The Sky – Yuming International Cover Album'' ( Toshiba EMI, 2003) * Do Swing – ''Kiroron 1 –Kiroro Melodies–'' (441, 2003) * Arkady Shilkloper – ''Presente Para Moscou'' (2003) * Bob Baldwin – ''Brazil Chill'' (2004) * Chris McNulty – ''Time for Love'' (2004) * Gretchen Parlato – ''Gretchen Parlato'' (2005) * Chris McNulty – ''Dance Delicioso'' (2005) * Bob Baldwin – ''All in a Day's Work'' (2007) * Sérgio Mendes – '' Timeless'' ( Concord, 2008) * Nilson Matta/ Roni Ben-Hur – ''Mojave'' ( Motéma, 2011) * Wataru Uchida – ''Blue Morpho – To Baden Powell with Love'' (2011) * Dennis Angel – ''I Need Smooth Jazz'' (2011) * Bob Baldwin - ''Twenty'' (2013) * Bob Baldwin - ''The Brazilian-American Soundtrack'' (2016) * Bob Baldwin - ''Henna'' (2020) * Bob Baldwin - ''Songs My Father Would Dig'' (2024)

References

Cafe da Silva discographyAll about jazz

External links

Latin Percussion {{for, the company, Latin Percussion Latin percussion is a family of percussion, membranophone, lamellophone and idiophone instruments used in Latin music. Instruments Afro-Cuban and Puerto Rican styles Folkloric and Santeria * Trap drums * Abaku ...

Café da Silva
on

Discogs Discogs ( ; short for " discographies") is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. Database contents are user-generated, and described in ''T ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cafe Living people Musicians from São Paulo (state) Brazilian percussionists 1949 births