Letieres dos Santos Leite, also known as Letieres Leite, was born on December
8, 1959, in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. He began his musical career at age thirteen
as a percussionist. Leite later studied art at the Universidade Federal da Bahia
and taught himself flute and saxophone. In 1994, after studying in Austria, he
returned to Brazil and collaborated with notable artists such as Mokhtar Samba,
Naná Vasconcelos, Elza Soares, Carlinhos Brown, and Ivete Sangalo. In 2006,
Leite founded the Orkestra Rumpilezz, blending afro-baianische percussion with
jazz. The orchestra released al...