Formed in England in 1973, the Penguin Café Orchestra was an avant-garde band
founded by multi-instrumentalist Simon Jeffes (born in Crawley, Sussex, England
on February 19, 1949) and cellist Helen Liebmann. The ensemble’s eclectic
repertoire touched on many musical styles including pop, jazz, folk, and chamber
music mixed with a touch of minimalism. Although Simon Jeffes was predominantly
known as a guitarist, he also studied music theory and piano before forming
Penguin Café Orchestra. The group’s line-up changed over the years, but several
members went on to forge careers of t...