The Penguin Cafe Orchestra was a loose assembly of various musicians headed by classically-trained guitarist, composer and arranger Simon Jeffes (Sussex, England, 1949-1997). Only Jeffes and cellist co-founder Helen Liebmann were core members and other musicians were drafted for the requirements of particular pieces or performances. Their sound is not easy to categorise but is similar to the music of the French multi-instrumentalist Yann Tiersen, sharing with it elements of exuberant folk music and a minimalist aesthetic occasionally reminiscent of Philip Glass. The Penguin Cafe Orchestra recorded and performed for 24 years until Jeffes died of a brain tumour in 1997. History After becoming disillusioned with the rigid structures of classical music and the limitations of rock music, in which he also dabbled, Jeffes became interested in the relative freedom in ethnic music and decided to imbue his work with the same sense of

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