Raphael Silverman, Keeping Busy In The Big Apple
Jazz Times has referred to his playing as “Superb,” and the NYC Jazz Record says his “lyricism is rare in such a young player.” Raphael is a native New Yorker and has studied with Bobby Broom.
Above photo (cropped): Marty Williams
JB: Growing up in New York City, what inspired you to play jazz guitar?
RS: I was born in NYC but grew up mostly in White Plains, New York. Funnily enough, my first guitar was the plastic one for the video game Rock Band. I used to play the game with my brothers, and it had the song “Say It Ain’t So” by Weezer. After hearing that solo, I wanted a real guitar. I started at 13. My first teacher showed me Autumn Leaves. I found every version I could, which led me to Miles Davis, Chet Baker, and Bill Evans, and I was hooked.
JB: What did you appreciate most about Columbia University, and that era of your development?
RS: The best part of Columbia University, besides the proximity to the downtown NYC Jazz scene, was studying with pianist Bruce Barth. I studied with him for two years. He taught me a great deal about harmony, phrasing, comping, the American Songbook, and jazz history. He showed me records which have since become my favorites. He would assign me tunes to learn, and we would play them as a duo. I have always loved this format – one of the first solos I ever learned was Jim Hall’s on “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” from the Jim Hall/Bill Evans record Intermodulation. I played with Bruce last night, on a quartet gig with Joey Ranieri on bass and Willie Bowman on drums. Bruce is an incredible musician and teacher.
JB: To you, in shaping your sound and approach, what are three of the most influential jazz guitar albums and why?
In no specific order,
1. Wes Montgomery, Boss Guitar/Smokin at the Half Note
I can’t choose just one record with Wes. I’ve chosen these two for two different reasons. Boss Guitar has Wes’ clearest, warmest, and most endearing guitar sound. His solo on “Days of Wine and Roses” should be taught to all guitar students. Perfect phrasing, no wasted notes, each phrase relates to the last one and sets up the next. The pairing of Jimmy Cobb and Wes is unbeatable to me. “For Heaven’s Sake”, “Fried Pies” takes 1 and 2, and “Canadian Sunset” are also highlights.
Smokin at the Half Note demonstrates Wes as one of the greatest improvisers of all time on any instrument. His flow is never broken, his ideas never repeat, every phrase has conviction and clarity. His solo on “No Blues” is one of the best ever. It’s also one of the most swinging records ever, with Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, and Jimmy Cobb. Jimmy Cobb’s ride cymbal beat has that insistence that keeps the music driving forward, always rising in intensity. “No Blues” is so great because it’s as much a band solo as it is a guitar solo. Those call-and-response shout choruses Wes sets up are incredible.
2. The Way I Play/Song and Dance Bobby Broom
Bobby’s playing on these records is some of the best guitar trio playing period. He is able to get this “big” sound that fills out the trio, much like Sonny Rollins. You never miss having a pianist to comp. Like Sonny, His lines are totally indicative of the harmony without being stock or safe. The feel is so flexible; he plays with all the different subdivisions of the beat and is grounded and grooving the whole time. A totally unique voice on the guitar that sits firmly in the tradition and the future. “Strike Up the Band,” “Fly Me to the Moon,” from The Way I Play, and “Superstar” and “Wichita Lineman” from Song and Dance are the highlights.
3 For this last one, I can’t help but pick Miles Davis in Concert My Funny Valentine (Live at the Philharmonic Hall),
It’s not guitar, but it has inspired me musically as much as any other record. It’s a true masterpiece of interactive playing that is full of emotion and risk. I really can’t say too much about it; it exists in a world of its own. “All of You” and “Stella by Starlight” are the highlights.
JB: Did you move to Chicago to study with Bobby Broom, and what did you appreciate about your time with him?
RS: I moved to Chicago to attend the University of Chicago for my first year of college. Unfortunately, the pandemic was in 2020, so I was only in Chicago for about 8 months. I found out about Bobby through Jonathan Kriesberg, who I studied with in High School. I took my first lesson with Bobby when I was 17, when I first visited UChicago in my Junior year of High School. I didn’t really have much together on the guitar. One year later, after some very focused practice and transcribing, I returned for my second lesson after I got into UChicago and was about to graduate high school. Bobby told me he had rarely seen such fast improvement in a player, which inspired me to keep working harder. I felt like I had some momentum. I studied with him in person until March 2020, when I had to return home to NYC during quarantine. We continued on Zoom and have kept close contact for the last 5-6 years. He has become a great mentor to me and is very supportive. He is a genius musician and guitarist. At the time, I was so focused on learning the jazz language through transcription and hadn’t worked as hard on accompaniment. Bobby always stressed that comping is as important (if not more important) than soloing as a working guitarist. This has certainly demonstrated itself to be true. Comping gets you hired!
JB: What did you find most rewarding and challenging about working in a trio with a bassist and drummer?
RS: The most challenging part of playing trio is balancing the melodic and harmonic aspect of the guitar. Playing lines with no chords can sound too empty, but over-comping for yourself can crowd the musical space and keep the music from breathing. My model for playing trio has always been Sonny Rollins; his record A Night at the Village Vanguard is the perfect example of playing lines with so much harmonic integrity that no comping would be necessary. His lines are almost like J.S. Bach in that way; you can hear the harmony going by as the melodic line unfolds. Of course, I comp for myself and take chord solos, etc., but I always strive to play in a harmonically focused way. I also like players who have a “big” guitar sound that can make a trio sound full with just solo lines.
It’s great to play with drummers and bassists who bring out things in your playing you didn’t know were there. My trio includes Joey Ranieri and Willie Bowman, two musicians who do exactly that. Both can respond to me and coax me at the same time. I have also been playing trio with Peter Washington and Billy Drummond, which has been an incredible experience.
JB: Tell me about two of your most memorable performance or recording experiences.
RS: Two experiences come to mind. One was going on my tour to Singapore with Johnny O’Neal in July 2025. Singapore was unlike any place I’d ever been to, and Johnny is truly one of the funniest and most naturally talented musicians and vocalists I’ve ever met. He made going through the airport fun. He is one of the only musicians I’ve ever met who makes me feel something every time he plays. Second was my recent experience performing at the Blue Note with A$AP Rocky and Dave Chappelle. We were playing acoustic jazz versions of A$AP Rocky’s songs. His recent album includes some samples of classic jazz recordings, my favorite being his “Robbery,” which uses Thelonious Monk’s iconic recording of “Caravan” with Oscar Pettiford and Kenny Clarke. After we finished that tune, Dave Chappelle came on stage and, within a couple of minutes, started the band on a slow blues and pushed me to the front stage to take a solo. It was a great combination of spontaneity and preparation that made for something I’ll always remember.
JB: What do you appreciate most about the Gibson L-5 that you use? RS: I sold my 1969 L5 after finding this amazing Fender D’Aquisto Custom Shop. I was always looking for something more acoustically present; I like to feel the note resonate in the back of the guitar. The L5 was great but had two in-built pickups that I found deadened the response. The new guitar itself was built by Stephen Stern under the tutelage of James D’Aquisto. It’s only gotten better about a year into playing it exclusively. Of all the guitars I’ve owned, it’s the only acoustic Archtop with a floating pickup that doesn’t feedback. I don’t think I’ll find something better, so I’m sticking with this one for now.
JB: New York is a town with scores of good guitarists. What’s the best piece of advice you’d give guitarists for building a career in music?
RS: I would say the best way is to seek out the musicians you love to hear and be around them as much as you can. The musicians that you really love will show you (whether they say it out loud or not) what repertoire to learn, how to play, how to carry yourself on and off stage, and how to feel the music. Jazz is an apprenticeship music, and I don’t see another way to really get inside it besides learning it on stage from the greats.
