Search - Oren Bloedow, Jennifer Charles :: La Mar Enfortuna

To Elysium and back

ptitchitza | Leiden, Netherlands | 04/13/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"To discover music that will give such an intense pleasure like La Mar Enfortuna does, is a rare experience. With dozens and dozens of hours of new music I hear every year, I consider myself lucky if it happens with two or three albums. I bought this CD just on a hunch, and the first time I heard it I became captivated by the most beautiful modern renditions of traditional Sephardic songs and seduced by sensuous voice of Jennifer Charles. The CD played six times non-stop, I kid you not. Sirens must have had voices like hers, making sailors meet their death in a state of blissful happiness. The name of Oren Bloedow's and Jennifer Charles' original band, Elysian Fields, makes a perfect sense: in Greek mythology, Elysium or Elysian Fields is the abode of the blessed dead, or place or condition of supreme delight.Together with Anthony Coleman's Sephardic Tinge, La Mar Enfortuna is the most adventurous, most inspiring and most beautiful interpretation of Sephardic songs I've ever heard. If the ethereal voice of Elisabeth Fraser is a voice of a valkyrie to take you to Valhalla, sensuous and velvety voice of Jennifer Charles is a voice of an earthly angel you want to spend all your mortal days with. Bittersweet wine on her lips and dried salt on her dark skin (getting a bit carried away here, eh?).Let me recall Gershom Scholem's quote that is printed on each of John Zorn's 10 original Masada albums (Zorn, whose Tzadik Records are producing all these gems): "There is a life of tradition that does not merely consist of conservative preservation, the constant continuation of the spiritual and cultural possessions of a community. There is such a thing as a treasure hunt within tradition, which creates a living relationship to tradition and to which much of what is best in current Jewish consciousness is indebted even where it was -- and is -- expressed outside the framework of orthodoxy." (By the way, the recent releases in Radical Jewish Culture edition of Tzadik records carry a slightly redesigned star of David, a perfect illustration of the living (and loving) relationship to tradition).I've read some elated comments about an earlier Tzadik release in the same edition: "Nigunim", an album of spiritual Hasidic-Jewish songs of devotion and praise. Whereas this here goy felt he's missing something of that experience, perhaps due to his inability to understand many references to Judaism, that is not the case with La Mar Enfortuna. Even though I'm certainly missing out on something (if for no other reason but for the fact that I don't speak Ladino in which most songs are sung), there is not a trace of that feeling and I could hardly believe that my joy could be greater.Happiness is a matter of moments. I recently got three CDs of previously unknown musicians and each of the three turned out to be great. After few days my definition of hapiness was no longer accurate."

Jennifer's voice could make me a convert...

ptitchitza | 03/14/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I can't say whether or not this is a great album for fans of Sephardic music (which I know nothing about), but for fans of Jennifer Charles and Oren Bloedow (aka Elysian Fields) this is a great listen. Most of the songs are updates of old Sephardic melodies -- and as a neophyte in this kind of music, I found them really nice to listen to. But is anything Jennifer Charles sings not nice to listen to? On the other hand, there are a few original compositions done "in the spirit" of Sephardic melodies, most notable of which is Salome -- a great song which is pure Elysian Fields.In short, if you're an EF fan, I'd recommend the album. If you're not, but if you like svelte, vaguely exotic music, I'd still recommend it!"

Sephardic hum

j::tors | New York, NY United States | 03/07/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The sensuous vocals of jennifer charles and the intricate orchestration of oren bloedow come together in this modern exploration of sephardic melodies and rhythm. There is a little bit of everything in this album, jazz, funk, folk, rock, and latin flavors embrace your mind while the melodies will keep you humming for days."