<Biography>
Born in Porto, Portugal, Ricardo started playing the diatonic harmonica aged seventeen. His passion for this instrument led him to big stages in his home country and so, aged twenty-one, he began to study music and learn the chromatic harmonica. In 2016 he moved to the Netherlands where he completed a bachelor and a master’s degree in Jazz Harmonica at the Conservatory of Rotterdam (2020) and Conservatory of Amsterdam (2023), respectively.
Piercing through a wide range of genres, Ricardo’s harmonica has been heard live alongside artists such as Rui Veloso (Portugal), Tim Ries (U.S.A.), Marcos Cavaleiro (Portugal), North East Ska Jazz Orchestra (Italy) and Theo Bleckmann (Germany) and in venues such as Coliseu do Porto and Coliseu de Lisboa (Portugal), Casa da Música (Porto, Portugal), Ijsselmonde Theater (Rotterdam, Netherlands), Teatro Nini Marshall (Buenos Aires, Argentina), Calella Harmonica Festival (Barcelona, Spain) and more. His harmonica can be heard in recordings by artists such as IL Harmonica Trio (Argentina), Ronny deCarlo (Netherlands), Banda Matatu (Netherlands), Per7ume (Portugal), LOBO (Portugal), Efkan Şeşen (Turkey), among others.
Besides playing harmonica and composing for Afro-Fusion project Banda Matatu, as well as performing locally with his classic blues project Ricky Silver’s Blues Syndicate, Ricardo has been part of tango harmonica project IL Harmonica Trio (Argentina) as of 2025 and also leads his own originals band - Ricardo Silva Group - with whom he has released his debut album, “In Between”, on May 29th 2026.
Distinguished by his genre-crossing qualities, in his new album, Ricardo presents music which portrays a melting pot of influences and sentiments that translate stories of his life in exile. In the global fusion space, his harmonica acts as a singular, human voice, bridging the gap between soulful tradition and urban innovation. "In Between" represents a new chapter for an artist who has found his true north in the intersection of melody and memory.
"[He]has successfully overcome a number of instrument-specific limitations and difficulties on the harmonica in a way that has not often been seen before. (...) in his improvisations he lavishly scatters chord substitutes, thus demonstrating a very mature harmonic/melodic insight. (...) in addition to great band leadership, he also demonstrates the ability to compose contemporary jazz repertoire with his own signature.” Jarmo Hoogendijk
“Ricardo is a virtuoso jazz harmonica player and seriously studies new techniques on the chromatic harmonica.” Hermine Deurloo
Some words about suzuki instruments:
I find the G-48 and G-48W to be the harmonicas that most adequately fit my needs due to their incredible response, delicate, intricate sound and tone malleability. I actively use both models as they differ in timbre and suit different musical needs. After getting comfortable with its shape, playing other designs doesn't feel as natural.
