(6/29/00) Los Angeles, CA - On July 14th, and each Friday thereafter, the Atlas Supper Club (3760 Wilshire Boulevard @ Wiltern) will pulse, swing, and sizzle with the eclectic, critically-acclaimed jazz ensemble Lesa Carlson Off Blue. Lesa Carlson Off Blue is a daring foray into the fusion of turntablism and multimedia with Old School Jazz, and features the hypnotic stylings of the incomparable DJ Jun. Tickets are $10 at the door. The public can call 323-860-6515 for more information. Dinner is served until 10:00pm on Fridays. For reservations call 213-380-8400.

Lesa Carlson herself is a stunning ingenue. The award-winning vocalist, choreographer, and former Miss Idaho is progressively seductive, smoky, voluptuous, and sassy. Her captivating sensuality is enhanced by the elegant couture of Richard Bowman, whose evocative designs have graced Britney Spears, Ricky Martin, and the January 2000 cover of Playboy. The other members of Lesa Carlson Off Blue - Harold Bennett (Flute/Sax), Miles Mosely (Bass), Soko Richardson (Drums), Dan Weinstein (Trombone/Violin), James Smith (Trumpet) - are industry heavyweights who have worked with such notables as Ike and Tina Turner, Ray Charles, the Jacksons, Quincy Jones, and Jimmie Edwards. In keeping with the legacy of Old School Jazz, the ensemble thrives on improvisation, and whether playing original pieces or standards from Cole Porter, Miles Davis, Thelonius Monk, or Rodgers and Hart, nothing is ever interpreted the same way twice.

Joining Lesa Carlson Off Blue is DJ Jun. A master of multiple genres, Jun's artistry has had a tremendous impact on both other turntablists and the LA club scene. Among his fans and supporters are Jason Bentley (KCRW, Bossa Nova), Raymond Roker (URB Magazine) and Tomas (UMOJA Soundsystem, XLR8R). Weaving turntables with sizzling jazz vocals and grooves may seem a strange way to foster the spirit of jazz, but Lesa Carlson has found a common thread running through seemingly disparate forms. "Jazz, true jazz, is the sound of surprise and of raw desire," Carlson says. "So long as these qualities are not compromised, new elements can revitalize the form and bring jazz to a whole new audience." In fact, past Lesa Carlson Off Blue performances have included painters, illusionists, reel-to-reel movies and voodoo masks, and some of these elements may be incorporated into future Atlas shows. Recently, Lesa Carlson Off Blue had an eight-week run of "Torch, A Tribute To Desire" at the Greenway Court Theatre.

Lesa Carlson Off Blue is brought to you by Lesa Carlson, Green Galactic and Kjell. Kjell is one of the creators of the inimitable Chocolate Bar, a weekly cross-cultural rapture that has, almost completely through word-of-mouth, reached mythic proportions in Los Angeles art/music/dance circles. His latest project, Inshallah Gallery, masterfully harmonizes Near Eastern, Far Eastern, and European influences into the framework of a Casablanca piano bar. "From our first meeting it was obvious that Lesa and I were going to work extremely well together," says Kjell. "Of course we would never have met if not for Lynn." "Lynn" is Green Galactic's networking guru Lynn Hasty. Familiar with both artists, she knew that their pairing would be electric. Hasty explains that "Kjell's work mirrors Lesa's in that it mixes traditional and unexpected elements to create visual and sonic environments that are at once exotic and familiar, welcoming and provocative."

In addition to an eye for the eclectic, Hasty adds that "Lesa and Kjell share a relentless, uncompromising obsession with quality. They believe that for an audience to lose itself in the moment, there must be something real for it to experience." Carlson agrees. "At some level people can always tell if it's empty flash or something true and innovative." Both Carlson and Kjell promise that Lesa Carlson Off Blue will entice the visitor into the steamy, sultry back-alley of musical and artistic truth.

With décor straight out of Hollywood's Golden Age, the Atlas Supper Club (www.clubatlas.com) is an artistic statement in itself. The club was opened in 1990 by Mario Tamayo, an eclectic visionary, who introduced Los Angeles to Caribbean food with ChaChaCha and Mambo. The Atlas Supper Club, located in the beautifully restored Wiltern Theater Complex, features an extensive wine list and a consistently superb "global cuisine" that mixes and matches the very finest of Thai, Mexican, Cuban, Italian and American traditions.