Lisa B (Lisa Bernstein) ~ Singer, Spoken-Word Artist, Poet

LISA B (LISA BERNSTEIN), SINGER AND POET

Body and Spirit Electric

Lisa B (Lisa Bernstein) is a unique combination: 

* An expressive singer drawing on jazz, soul, hip-hop, and electronica

 * A riveting spoken-word artist

* An award-winning literary poet.

IN PERFORMANCE AND ON RECORDINGS WITH HER BAND, LISA performs both original songs and adventurously reimagined standards and covers. She interweaves singing with poetic rap and spoken word. 

HER SEVEN FULL-LENGTH RECORDS AND VARIOUS SINGLES released since 1999 have gained radio play and charting on hundreds of trade-reporter jazz, college, and free-form stations. 

LISA B'S RECORDINGS ALSO GARNERED CRITICAL ACCLAIM in Jazz Times, Jazziz, All About Jazz, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the Philadelphia Daily News, and many other publications. 

SHE HAS PERFORMED at 90+ venues, including clubs, festivals, educational settings, theatres, and bookstores.

NOW BOOKING: ALBUM RELEASE SHOWS FOR 

"'60s Magic Now!: The Y-Verse," stunning new soul-jazz versions of '60s classics 

OUT FALL 2026

TOURING IN 2026-2027 and beyond 

ALSO BOOKING POETRY READINGS AND WORKSHOPS

Solo or with Band

LISA B (LISA BERNSTEIN)'S FREE-VERSE POETRY is featured in her second book God in Her Ruffled Dress (What Books Press), also available as an audiobook with new original music; her most recent full-length record "Reverberant" (Piece of Pie Records); her first book The Transparent Body (Wesleyan University Press); the chapbook Anorexia (Five Fingers Poetry); and 60+ literary magazines and anthologies, including Antaeus, Caliban, City Lights Review, Field, Kenyon Review, Lilith, Ploughshares, Poetry International, Tikkun, and Zyzzyva. 

In addition to performances and readings, she offers workshops, clinics, and residencies aimed at writers and  performers, drawing on her varied experience as a teacher and coach at the university, community, and K-12 levels and her private coaching practice. Early in her literary career she was Associate Director of The Poetry Center at San Francisco State University. Learn more about her teaching qualifications and offerings

See the enthusiastic responses below from critics, fans, and a U.S. Poet Laureate. 

Available for Shows with Band

“Daring, dexterous singer/songwriter/poet...appeal[s] to both traditional and contemporary jazz tastes and even hip-hop hipsters.”
—Philadelphia Daily News

“Singer, spoken-word artist and poet with an incisive way of chronicling situations, memories, and emotions… a pliable, expressive voice dipped in blue.”
—Jazz Times

“Each listening reveals previously undiscovered depths of brilliant artistry and colorful storytelling.”
—KIOS-FM

“Inventive and often haunting.”
—L.A. Jazz Scene

“Funky, fresh and sexy as all hell...seamless blending of jazz, hip-hop, soul, spoken word and popular music.” 
—Canadian Audiophile

“Her magical voice will hold you spellbound.” 
—Contemporary Fusion Reviews

Available for Poetry Readings & Workshops

From its provocative title to the last sentence, this…heretical book surprises, devastates, and delights.- Calyx

An invitation to experience God as ‘the one I know.’…The physical body is embraced as a place of knowing and mystery, illness, sex, and healing.“ -  Harbor Review

A playful, soulful, feminist imagining of how we experience the sacred.” - Broad Street Review, Best of 2023

“I am charmed and touched...simultaneously whimsical and serious.” - Jazz Lives

“Lisa B’s stunning new book weaves together body, spirituality, politics, and the world we live in…will stir your mind and bring you into beauty.”  - Kelli Russell Agodon

“Bears écriture feminine into the twenty-first century with grace, wit, and incredible technical dexterity.” - Kristina Marie Darling

“A book of deep seeingalso a book of intense listening... a series of divine pleasures.” - D.A. Powell 

A dazzling lyrical demonstration... from the highs of great jazz performance to the zen of blood testing for diabetes.”  
—Lawrence R. Smith

Selected Presenter & Fan Quotes

“She totally captivated the audience. She is an originator, her arrangements are mesmerizing, and her band is great!”
Gary Hamada, Jazz and Blues Company/KRML-FM, Concert Manager

“Obviously you’re a gigantic talent…you totally controlled the room.”
Robin Reichert, owner, Paradise Lounge, San Francisco  

“You know as a poet and as a singer that you were being heard... from the silence between phrases. I was surprised by many things. First by the quality and range of your voice. When you want to you get a terrific blues quality. The people playing behind you are so good. I especially enjoyed 'Center of the Rhyme' and the Joe Williams song.”
Philip Levine, former Poet Laureate of the United States 

“That was a wonderful show last night. My friend and I had a great time. You were marvelous – charming, funny, astute, original. Your band was exquisite, each and every one of them. Your comfort on the stage and with the band felt assured.”
B.N.

Music Videos for New Singles + Three Show Videos

Sample Tracks

High-Rez Photos

Inquiries