Jennifer Asher Charles (born Zipken; November 15, 1968) is an American singer and songwriter. Along with Oren Bloedow, she co-founded the New York band Elysian Fields. Her work is known for its emotional intensity, with her writing exploring nature, love, loss, death, myth, and identity, often with philosophical and literary influences. She has a

contralto A contralto () is a classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range is the lowest of their voice type, voice types. The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare, similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to ...

voice.

Early life

Jennifer is the firstborn child of Peter Charles (né Zipken) and Jeri Charles (née Valentine). She has a younger brother, Joshua. When Jennifer was an infant, her father had her birth name (and that of the whole family) changed from Zipken to Charles, which had been his professional name for years on the radio as a disc jockey, and which he had decided to change legally once his own father died. Charles is of Russian Jewish and Irish descent, and grew up in a mostly secular Jewish household. Her parents separated when she was four, and Jennifer and her brother were raised by their mother, seeing her father every two weeks. She grew up in houses filled with music, because her mother had been a classical music programmer at WMAL-FM, and because her father had been a late night jazz DJ at WAVZ out of New Haven, CT. Her mother also used to be a torch singer in Washington clubs, so Jennifer also learned early on the songs of Édith Piaf,

Ruth Etting Ruth Etting (November 23, 1896 – September 24, 1978) was an American singer and actress during the 1920s and 1930s, who had over 60 hit recordings and worked in stage, radio, and film. Known as "America's sweetheart of song", her signature tu ...

Marlene Dietrich Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however, Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday made significant contributions to jazz music and pop ...

, and

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. Possessing a strong contralto voice, she was celebrated for her emotional depth and versatility across film, stage, and concert performance. ...

. And from her grandmother, she absorbed most of the

Tin Pan Alley Tin Pan Alley was a collection of History of music publishing, music publishers and songwriters in New York City that dominated the American popular music, popular music of the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Originally ...

and blues songs of the 1920s and 1930s. The music of popular AM radio at the time of her childhood was multiform, and Jennifer fell asleep with a transistor radio most nights. The homes Jennifer grew up in with her mother in Washington, D.C. were unconventional, and she was exposed to many cultures as her mother and her mother's good friend (another single mother) formed something of a group house, taking in writers and filmmakers ( Stephen Jimenez and

Henry Jaglom Henry David Jaglom (born January 26, 1938) is an English-born American actor, film director and playwright. Life and career Jaglom was born to a Jewish family in London, England, the son of Marie (née Stadthagen) and Simon M. Jaglom, who wor ...

among them), and a French chef as boarders. As young children, she and her brothers would travel door to door, performing a kind of children's

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

act, singing Tin Pan Alley songs and tap dancing. Jennifer was a shy girl, so when she started doing children's theater at age 10, her stage debut at Trinity Theater was that of a cat who had no speaking lines but was a mime and dancer who was onstage the length of the play. It was an original role that the director let Jennifer create as she felt she did not fit into any of the written parts. She was also writing herself, and published her first poem, called "Riddle-Song Of The Sun," that same year. At age 11, she started a newspaper with her best friend called The Pre-Teen Times where they sold subscriptions that came out quarterly. At age 12, she became passionate about the music of South Asia after her mother returned from a journey across India and Nepal with a bag full of cassettes for her, with Jagjit and Chitra Singh's The Gold Disc being her favorite. She took flamenco lessons as a young teen, and continued to do children's theater and community theater. She studied acting for a summer at

Catholic University Catholic higher education includes universities, colleges, and other institutions of higher education privately run by the Catholic Church, typically by religious institutes. Those tied to the Holy See are specifically called pontifical univers ...

, and had principal roles in productions at Little Theatre of Alexandria, Olney Theatre Center, and Folger Shakespeare Theatre. She attended the Washington International School, where she studied Spanish and Latin, then the Edmund Burke School, a college prep school she left after she had begun working in professional theatre at

Studio Theatre A black box theater is a performance space, typically a square or rectangular room, with black walls and a black, flat floor. The simplicity of the space allows it to be used to create a variety of configurations of stage and audience interact ...

and Source Theatre, and the school could not accommodate her rehearsal schedule. For her last two years of high school, Jennifer attended Duke Ellington School of the Arts, where she was a theater major. An advanced academic program also landed her part-time at

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

, where she studied writing and anthropology. Jennifer's youth in the melting pot of Washington, D.C. was instrumental in her music influence and taste. Her mother had season tickets to the

National Symphony Orchestra The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1930 by cellist Hans Kindler, its principal performing venue is the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The NSO regularly ...

, which they attended on Friday nights, and her father would take her to hear live jazz at places like Blues Alley, One Step Down, and Charlie's Georgetown, where she saw the likes of

Anita O'Day Anita Belle Colton (October 18, 1919 – November 23, 2006), known professionally as Anita O'Day, was an American jazz singer and self-proclaimed “song stylist” widely admired for her sense of rhythm and dynamics, and her early big band appe ...

Mel Tormé Melvin Howard Tormé (September 13, 1925 – June 5, 1999), nicknamed "the Velvet Fog", was an American musician, singer, composer, arrangement, arranger, drummer, actor, and author. He composed the music for "The Christmas Song" ("Chestnuts Roa ...

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie ( ; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improvisation, improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy El ...

Ahmad Jamal Ahmad Jamal (born Frederick Russell Jones; July 2, 1930 – April 16, 2023) was an American jazz pianist, composer, bandleader, and educator. For six decades, he was one of the most successful small-group leaders in jazz. He was a NEA Jazz Ma ...

Oscar Peterson Oscar Emmanuel Peterson (August 15, 1925 – December 23, 2007) was a Canadian jazz pianist and composer. As a virtuoso who is considered to be one of the greatest Jazz piano, jazz pianists of all time, Peterson released more than 200 recordin ...

George Shearing Sir George Albert Shearing (13 August 191914 February 2011) was a British jazz pianist who for many years led a popular jazz group that recorded for Discovery Records, MGM Records and Capitol Records. Shearing was the composer of over 300 so ...

, and Jamaican jazz pianist

Monty Alexander Montgomery Bernard "Monty" Alexander OJ CD (born 6 June 1944) is a Jamaican American jazz pianist. His playing has a Caribbean influence and bright swinging feeling, with a strong vocabulary of bebop jazz and blues rooted melodies. He was in ...

. In her teens, Jennifer would often travel to New York and London, both with friends and on her own. She was turned on to the different sounds in each city - The Lounge Lizards, Diamanda Galas, Lydia Lunch, Blondie, and The Velvet Underground in New York; and The Specials, Gang of Four, Siouxsie, The Slits, The Buzzcocks, The Birthday Party, Cocteau Twins, and The Fall in the UK. But she was also steeped in the contemporary scenes of her own hometown, dancing at Tracks, Poseurs, and Badlands, and frequenting live music venues like D.C. Space, 9:30 Club, Fort Reno Park, and Cafe Lautrec to see punk bands like

Bad Brains Bad Brains are an American punk rock band formed in Washington, D.C., in 1976. They are widely regarded as pioneers of hardcore punk, though the band's members have objected to the use of this term to describe their music. They are also an ade ...

, Beefeater, and Rites of Spring. She also grew up going to go-go concerts, seeing Chuck Brown, Trouble Funk, Junk Yard Band, E.U., and Rare Essence, and went to hear Ethiopian music in the clubs and restaurants of DC's

Adams Morgan Adams Morgan (abbreviated as AdMo) is a Neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., neighborhood in Washington, D.C., located in the city’s Northwest (Washington, D.C.), Northwest quadrant. Adams Morgan is noted as a historic hub for Counterculture of ...

neighborhood. As a junior in high school, Jennifer moved out on her own and supported herself with theater work and various odd jobs, including as an artist model at the Corcoran School of the Arts and as a singing waitress in a piano bar called The Top Hat Club.

Career

In 1987, she moved to New York to continue her theatre and academic studies, receiving her Bachelor of Fine Arts from NYU's Tisch school in just three years. Upon graduating she appeared in various off-broadway theater productions, had a stint singing in a dive piano bar and curated a performance/poetry series at the original Knitting Factory. Elysian Fields was founded in 1995 and have released eleven full-length records (including one produced by

Steve Albini Steven Frank Albini (; July 22, 1962 – May 7, 2024) was an American musician and audio engineer. He founded and fronted the influential post-hardcore and noise rock bands Big Black (1981–1987), Rapeman (1987–1989) and Shellac (band), ...

that was shelved). They have also contributed to many compilation albums, including the first song on

John Zorn John Zorn (born September 2, 1953) is an American composer, conducting, conductor, saxophonist, arrangement, arranger and record producer, producer who "deliberately resists category". His Avant-garde music, avant-garde and experimental music, ex ...

Serge Gainsbourg Serge Gainsbourg (; born Lucien Ginsburg; 2 April 1928 – 2 March 1991) was a French singer-songwriter, actor, composer, and director. Regarded as one of the most important figures in French pop, he was renowned for often provocative rel ...

tribute album. This song, their rendition of "Les Amours Perdues", also appeared in Lea Pool's film ''Emporte Moi''. Besides Elysian Fields, Charles has other projects. She and Bloedow recorded ''La Mar Enfortuna'' for Zorn's Tzadik label, featuring renditions of

Sephardic Sephardic Jews, also known as Sephardi Jews or Sephardim, and rarely as Iberian Peninsular Jews, are a Jewish diaspora population associated with the historic Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) and their descendant ...

and Ladino songs. She has studied classical Indian singing with teacher Gulamji. In late 2007, she and Bloedow put out a second Tzadik full-length, under the band name La Mar Enfortuna, called "Conviviencia". Charles sings in five languages on the record, including Ladino, Spanish,

Aramaic Aramaic (; ) is a Northwest Semitic language that originated in the ancient region of Syria and quickly spread to Mesopotamia, the southern Levant, Sinai, southeastern Anatolia, and Eastern Arabia, where it has been continually written a ...

, Arabic, and Greek. Charles also makes up a quarter of the band Lovage, along with

Dan the Automator Daniel M. Nakamura (born August 29, 1966), better known by his stage name Dan the Automator, is an American record producer. He is the founder of the publishing company Sharkman Music and the record label 75 Ark. Early life Daniel M. Nakamura wa ...

Mike Patton Michael Allan Patton (born January 27, 1968) is an American singer, songwriter, producer, and voice actor, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock bands Faith No More and Mr. Bungle. He has also fronted and/or played with Tomahawk, The ...

and Kid Koala. The band recorded its debut album titled '' Music to Make Love to Your Old Lady By'' in 2001. Charles co-wrote and sang most of the material on the album. She has also worked with bands like Firewater, turning in performances on "The Circus" and "Mr. Cardiac" from 1996's '' Get Off the Cross, We Need the Wood for the Fire'', as well as Xian Hawkin's "Sybarite", the

Foetus A fetus or foetus (; : fetuses, foetuses, rarely feti or foeti) is the unborn offspring of a viviparous animal that develops from an embryo. Following the embryonic stage, the fetal stage of development takes place. Prenatal development is a ...

record, ''

Love Love is a feeling of strong attraction and emotional attachment (psychology), attachment to a person, animal, or thing. It is expressed in many forms, encompassing a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most su ...

'', as well as working with Matt Johnson of The The, and on several of

's records. Charles recorded in French with the French composer

Jean-Louis Murat Jean-Louis Bergheaud (28 January 1952 – 25 May 2023), better known by the stage name Jean-Louis Murat, was a French musician. Life Jean-Louis Bergheaud was born in Chamalières, France to a father who was a carpenter and a non-professional ...

for the album ''A bird on a poire'' in 2004, which was nominated for a Victoires de la Musique award in the category Best Pop or Rock Album. She had a guest spot on ex-

Nine Inch Nails Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN (stylized as NIИ), is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1988. Its members are the singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Trent Reznor and his frequent col ...

drummer

Chris Vrenna Chris Vrenna (born February 23, 1967) is an American musician, producer, engineer, remixer, programmer, and founder of the electronic band Tweaker. Vrenna played drums for the industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails from 1988 until 1996, and was ...

's solo project Tweaker. She sang and co-composed the track "Crude Sunlight", which appeared on the 2004 album '' 2 a.m. Wakeup Call''. Charles co-composed music with Johnny Klimek and Reinhold Heil ('' Run Lola Run'') for the film ''Tangled''. Elysian Fields' version of

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

's "Tangled up in Blue" can be heard in the film's credits. She produced the latest Oren Bloedow solo record ''She Goes With me to a Blossom World'', which came out in 2008. Charles was back on stage in 2008 in the Off Broadway production "Lightning at Our Feet", inspired by poet

Emily Dickinson Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (December 10, 1830 – May 15, 1886) was an American poet. Little-known during her life, she has since been regarded as one of the most important figures in American poetry. Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massac ...

, under the direction of Obie winner Bob McGrath, with film maker Bill Morrison and composer Michael Gordon, which was part of the Next Wave festival at Brooklyn Academy of Music in December 2008, where she sang and acted, channeling the iconic 19th century poet.

Discography

*2024: Elysian Fields – What The Thunder Said (Ojet, US) writer, vocalist *2023: Bohemian Flesh – s/t (Ojet, US) writer *2023: Wax Tailor – "Shaman In Your Arms" (in album "Fishing For Accidents", Lab'oratoire, FR) writer, vocalist *2022: Elysian Fields – Once Beautiful Twice Removed (Ojet, US) writer, vocalist *2022: DJ Criminal – "Mountain Tops" feat. Slug, Blueprint and Jennifer Charles (The Smuggler's Candle, US) writer, vocalist *2020: Parthenope – Introducing... Parthenope (Ojet, US) writer, vocalist *2020: Elysian Fields – Transience Of Life (Microcultures, France; Ojet, US) writer, vocalist *2020: Various Artists – Angelheaded Hipster: The Songs of Marc Bolan & T. Rex (BMG, US) vocalist *2020:

Bebel Gilberto Isabel Buarque de Hollanda Gilberto de Oliveira (born May 12, 1966), known as Bebel Gilberto, is an American-born Brazilian people, Brazilian popular singer often associated with bossa nova. She is the daughter of João Gilberto and singer Miú ...

– Agora (Pias America) writer, bgvs *2020: Elysian Fields – "When We Used To" (Ojet, US) writer, vocalist *2020: Elysian Fields – "Shelter In Place" (Ojet, US) writer, vocalist *2019: Elysian Fields – "Song For A Nun" b/w "Ball Drive" 7-inch (Ojet, US) writer, vocalist *2018: Various Artists – Vanity Of Vanities - A Tribute To Connie Converse (Tzadik, US) vocalist *2018: Elysian Fields – Pink Air (Microcultures, FR; Ojet, US) writer, vocalist *2017: Du Yun, Royce Vavrek – Angel's Bone (VIA Records, US) vocalist *2017: The The – Radio Cinéola Trilogy (Lazarus, UK) vocalist *2017: Nathaniel Merriweather – "Summer Lovin'" (Amazon Music, US) writer, vocalist *2016: Elysian Fields – Ghosts of No (Vicious Circle, France; Ojet, US) writer, vocalist *2016: Tredici Bacci – Amore Per Tutti (NNA Tapes) writer, vocalist *2014: Elysian Fields – For House Cats and Sea Fans (Vicious Circle, France; Diluvian/Ojet, US) writer, vocalist *2012: Wax Tailor – "Heart Stop" (Le Plan, Lab'oratoire, FR) vocalist *2011: Elysian Fields – Last Night on Earth (Vicious Circle Records, FR; Ojet, US) writer, vocalist *2009: Elysian Fields – The Afterlife (Diluvian/Vicious Circle) writer, vocalist, rebab *2008: The Heavy Circles – S/T (Dynamite Child) bgvs *2008: Oren Bloedow – She Goes With Me to a Blossom World (Diluvian) producer, bgvs, keyboards *2007: La Mar Enfortuna – Convivencia (Tzadik) voc, writer *2007:

– Vein (Birdman) vocalist *2006: Ben Perowsky's Moodswing Orchestra – S/T (El Destructo) writer, vocalist *2006: Elysian Fields – Bum Raps And Love Taps (Diluvian/Naive) writer, vocalist, keyboards *2005: Foetus – Love (Birdman Records) vocalist *2004:

– A Bird on a Poire (Labels) vocalist *2004: Elysian Fields – Dreams That Breathe Your Name (Diluvian) writer, vocalist, farfisa *2004: Tweaker – 2 AM Wake-Up Call (IMUSIC) writer, vocalist *2003: Ben Perowsky – Camp Songs (Tzadik) vocalist *2003: Sasha Argov – Great Jewish Music (Tzadik) vocalist *2003: Foetus – A Tribute to the Sisters of Mercy (EFA) vocalist, writer *2002: Frank London – Scientist at Work (Tzadik) vocalist *2002: John Zorn – Film Works XII – Three Documentaries (Tzadik) vocalist *2002: Sybarite – Scene of the Crime (4AD) writer, vocalist *2002: John Zorn – IAO Music in Sacred Light (Tzadik) vocalist *2001: illy B Eats – Drop the Needle (Amulet) writer, vocalist *2001: Zoar – Clouds Without Water (vocalist) *2001: Lovage – Music to Make Love to Your Old Lady By (75 Ark) writer, vocalist *2001: Firewater – Psychopharmachology (Jetset) vocalist *2001: Oren Bloedow and Jennifer Charles – La Mar Enfortuna (Tzadik) vocalist, bells, wurli, writer *2000: Elysian Fields – Queen of the Meadow (Jetset) writer, vocalist, mini moog, guitar, wurli *1999: Liminal (unreleased) writer, vocalist *1999: What's the Word Volume 1 – Various Artists (Deezal) writer, vocalist, piano *1999: DJ Logic – Project Logic (Ropeadope) writer, vocalist *1999: Jean Louis Murat – Mustango (Labels) vocalist *1998: Great Jewish Music: Marc Bolan – Various Artists (Tzadik) vocalist *1998: Elysian Fields – Clinical Trial (Radioactive - unreleased) writer, vocalist *1998: Oren Bloedow – The Luckiest Boy in the World, Knitting Factory Works (bgv) *1997: Elysian Fields Meets DJ Cam (Radioactive) writer, vocalist *1997: Great Jewish Music: Serge Gainsbourg Various Artists (Tzadik) vocalist *1997: Life in a Blender – Two Legs Bad (Fang) phoned in whispers *1997:

Live Live may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film * ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film * ''Live'' (2023 film), a Malayalam-language film *'' Live: Phát Trực Tiếp'', a Vietnamese-langua ...

– Secret Samadhi (Radioactive) bgvs *1996: Jennifer and Kenny Siegel Sessions (unreleased) vocalist *1996: Firewater - Get Off The Cross ... We Need The Wood for the Fire (Jetset) vocalist *1996: Elysian Fields – Bleed Your Cedar (Radioactive) writer, vocalist, rhythm king, percussion *1996: Elysian Fields – Elysian Fields EP (Radioactive) writer, vocalist *1992: Oren Bloedow – S/T (Knitting Factory Works) bgvs *1991: Mr Bungle - Mr Bungle (Warner Bros) bgvs *

References

External links

Elysian Fields WebsiteJennifer Charles interviewed on Jekyll and Hyde, 106FM Jerusalem 2010
{{DEFAULTSORT:Charles, Jennifer 1968 births Living people American women singer-songwriters American rock songwriters American women rock singers Arabic-language singers of the United States Aramaic-language singers Spanish-language singers of the United States Judaeo-Spanish-language singers French-language singers of the United States Tisch School of the Arts alumni American torch singers Singers from New York City Lovage (band) members Singer-songwriters from New York (state) Singer-songwriters from Washington, D.C.