Open Arts LES: Jamile Staevie Ayres

Born and raised in Brazil, but thriving in New York, Jamile’s artistry includes a love of language, a closeness with genre, a deep feeling for style—and a demand to throw all of these aside for the pleasures of transcendence. Jamile specifically loves mixing modern jazz and Brazilian jazz, as well as her original compositions, in a unique set of music that is rarely heard.

Jamile is a vocalist, composer, and educator from Brazil based in NYC. Her versatility is sharply pronounced in her unique repertoire choices, combining modern and Brazilian jazz into a sound of her own.

She has two critically acclaimed albums featuring the great Steve Wilson and was the opening act for Rosa Passos, Ron Carter, and Kenny Barron at JALC in 2023.

Jamile also collaborates with Grammy-nominated pianist Mike Holober, the latest project being “This Rock We’re On: Imaginary Letters”, where she was featured alongside Chris Potter and John Patitucci.

She has performed at world-renowned venues, including Mezzrow, Smalls, Birdland, and Dizzy’s, and received high praise for her performances internationally.

Throughout her career, Jamile has performed with veterans of this music, including Toninho Horta, Duduka da Fonseca, Hélio Alves, Ray Gallon, and Jay Leonhart, as well as current NYC jazz luminaries such as Miki Yamanaka, Yotam Silberstein, and Russell Hall.