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Jennifer Charles and Oren Bloedow are the writers who make up the critically-acclaimed band that formed in New York in 1995 and went on to develop a cult following of faithful fans around the world. After a dalliance with a ma- jor label for their first album in 1996, EF recorded their second full-length with Steve Albini, generating a response from the label that had the band asking to be released from their contract. They went on to forge a path outside of the mainstream, recording with a number of independent la- bels over the years, most recently releasing the evocative Ghosts of No in 2016. Jennifer and Oren are also known for their work outside of Elysian Fields, recording two albums of Sephardic diaspora music on John Zorn’s Tzadik label under the name La Mar Enfortuna. Jennifer was part of the supergroup Lovage along with Dan the Automator and Mike Patton, and has appeared as a guest on countless re- cordings, including those of French stars Jean-Louis Murat and Wax Tailor, and experimental composer JG Thirlwell. She has also maintained a career in theater alongside mu- sic, with leading roles in numerous Off-Broadway produc- tions over the years. In 2016, she originated the part of the Girl Angel in Du-Yun’s opera Angel’s Bone, which went on to win the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Music.

Oren has served as a secret musical weapon for a host of artists, from Meshell Ndegeocello to Marina Abramov- ić to Anohni. He was the bassist for the legendary New York band Lounge Lizards, and guitarist for the Original Broadway production of Fela! in 2010. Jennifer and Oren have also composed together for theater and dance pieces, and their music has appeared in television, film, and com- mercials around the world. Elysian Fields regularly tour in Europe, where their most loyal following can be found in France. They are “musicians’ musicians,” attracting es- teemed players from around the world to sit in with their live sets. In 2015, they opened a music venue in Brooklyn called The Owl Music Parlor.

Photo Credit: Michael Lavine