Along with Albert Ayler, Alan Silva seems to have emerged almost fully-formed in the jazz avant-garde, as opposed to coming out of the bebop or mainstream continuum. Born in Bermuda 1939, Silva learned his lessons in New York City's free jazz crucible, playing with Ayler, Cecil Taylor, and Frank Wright, among others. In the mid-'60s, he established himself as a leader (his debut is on the legendary ESP-Disk label) of ensembles both large and small. Like many of his contemporaries, he found Western Europe more receptive to his music and was mainly based there. While a few of his peers have mellowed somewhat, Silva maintains an edge, taking to playing synthesizer in the ‘90s. In more recent years, Silva has focused mainly on leading his free improvisation large ensembles at various jazz festivals around the globe.