Neo-Jazz singer Lesa Carlson is the founder and creative director of Lesa Carlson Off Blue (LCOB). LCOB, a critically acclaimed jazz ensemble, is a daring foray into the fusion of old-school jazz, turntablism, and multi-media.

Carlson herself is a stunning ingénue and former Miss Idaho. Combining her sultry looks, undeniable sensuality, and that sassy smoky blues which compliments her original sound and unique phrasing, she embodies a gifted spirit which people have coined "haunting, mesmerizing and able to get completely lost in." She’s a choreographer and award-winning vocalist whose history includes three years of opera training, awards bestowed in both New York and Los Angeles and performances with members of the Turkish National Symphony in Turkey.

Weaving turntablism with sizzling jazz vocals and grooves may seem an untraditional way to foster the spirit of jazz but Carlson has found a common thread running through seemingly disparate forms. "Jazz, true jazz, is the sound of surprise and raw desire; so long as these qualities are not compromised, new elements can revitalize the form and bring jazz to a whole new audience," Carlson notes, referring to Off Blue’s mission. Carlson has a relentless, uncompromising obsession with quality. She adds, "For the audience to loose themselves in the moment there must be something real for them to experience."

Lesa Carlson Off Blue has played at the esteemed Knitting Factory in New York City and they hold a monthly residency at the Knitting Factory Hollywood. Their residency has continued for two years now and the last four months they have performed different evenings of *interpretations* of Thelonius Monk, Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Billie Holiday.

Extraordinarily, and truly, Lesa Carlson is an Omni-Diva. Besides her burgeoning music career she is also an acclaimed raw foods chef who is perhaps the most sought after expert in the field right now. Her knowledge and talent grew naturally out of her personal pursuit of eating mostly raw food for over a decade. Definitely a blessed and creative being, she began experimenting and creating her own organic, vegan, raw meals back in 1991, light years before the current celebrity frenzy to eat raw for health and beauty’s sake. Factually, eating foods not heated above 115 degrees preserves all their important benefits such as living enzymes. Carlson knew this, of course, when she first incorporated the diet into her routine to help her voice and body achieve and maintain their optimum health throughout her vigorous training and performance schedule.

The most experienced and creative of the raw or “living” foods chefs in America, Carlson’s culinary career is skyrocketing. In May 2003 she opens her new restaurant in LA simply called "e.” Carlson will be the owner and executive chef of "e", which will feature all organic, all vegan and all raw meals and drinks. Every creation is from her own secret arsenal of Lesa-created recipes. The small elegant patio café is tucked away behind the prestigious Privé Salon at 7373 Beverly Blvd.

For the last two years Carlson has been hosting intimate $100 per-plate gourmet dinners at intimate locales around LA and through those dinners Seed Live Cuisine was born which is her and Seed partner C. Devin Whatley’s daily home delivery service. You can also find Seed products at over a dozen local farmer’s markets throughout the greater LA area. Between the dinners, Seed, weekend self-awareness retreats and private parties Carlson’s exquisite culinary creations are being embraced by a growing A-list of Hollywood’s brightest stars such as Sting, Alicia Silverstone, Woody Harrelson, Anthony Kiedis, Flea, Rick Rubin, Darryl Hanna, Crispin Glover, kd lang and Tyra Banks.

Also on the horizon for this prolific artist, is a new (un)cookbook coming out through Harper-Collins entitled Simply Raw later this year (winter 2003). You can read her most recent interview in the April 2003 issue of W (Madonna on the cover) in the article, “God is in the Diet.” Other recent culinary interviews with Carlson can be found in LA Business Journal, Los Angeles Times Magazine, National Culinary Review, Self, Spa, US and Vegetarian Times.