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 albums including Letieres Leite & Orkestra Rumpilezz (2009) and A Saga da Travessia (2016), which won three categories at the Brazilian Music Award in 2017.
Leite also directed the Big Band of Hermeto Pascoal. He died on October 27, 2021, in Salvador, Brazil, due to complications from COVID-19.
