Penguin Cafe Orchestra

Penguin Cafe Orchestra (read more)

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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 has elements of exuberant folk music mixed with the minimalist, repetitive composition of Philip Glass.

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 immediacy and spirit.

Describing how the idea of the Penguin Cafe Orchestra came to him, Jeffes said: I was on the beach sunbathing and suddenly a poem popped into my head. It started out ‘I am the proprietor of the Penguin Café, I will tell you things at random’ and it went on about how the quality of randomness, spontaneity, surprise, unexpectedness and irrationality in our lives is a very precious thing. And if you suppress that to have a nice orderly life, you kill off what’s most important. Whereas in the Penguin Café your unconscious can just be. It’s acceptable there, and that’s how everybody is. There is an acceptance there that has to do with living the present with no fear in ourselves.

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Track	Time	Listeners	Download
Add this track to your playlist Telephone And Rubber Band full track	2:29	6,514	Buy mp3
Add this track to your playlist Air A Danser full track	4:30	5,273	Buy mp3
Add this track to your playlist Steady State full track	3:35	4,069	Buy mp3
Add this track to your playlist Yodel 1 full track	4:08	3,902	Buy mp3

Signs of Life

Music From The Penguin Cafe

Top Tracks, Last Week

–	1	Add this track to your playlist Music For A Found Harmonium	874
–	2	Add this track to your playlist Perpetuum Mobile	449
–	3	Add this track to your playlist Telephone And Rubber Band full track	269
1	4	Add this track to your playlist Yodel 1 full track	148
1	5	Add this track to your playlist Air A Danser full track	146
2	6	Add this track to your playlist Air	119
2	7	Add this track to your playlist Paul's Dance full track	117
2	8	Add this track to your playlist Dirt	116
2	9	Add this track to your playlist Penguin Cafe Single full track	112
–	10	Add this track to your playlist Oscar Tango	110
1	11	Add this track to your playlist Steady State full track	104
–	12	Add this track to your playlist White Mischief	96
–	13	Add this track to your playlist Isle of View (Music for Helicopter Pilots)	95
3	13	Add this track to your playlist Southern Jukebox Music	95
1	15	Add this track to your playlist Cutting Branches For A Temporary Shelter full track	90
1	16	Add this track to your playlist Rosasolis	87
2	16	Add this track to your playlist Prelude And Yodel	87
1	18	Add this track to your playlist Heartwind	86
5	19	Add this track to your playlist Harmonic Necklace full track	76
2	19	Add this track to your playlist More Milk	76

Number of listeners for the last week More top tracks…

Top Tracks, Last Six Months

–	1	Add this track to your playlist Music For A Found Harmonium	8,965
–	2	Add this track to your playlist Perpetuum Mobile	5,982
–	3	Add this track to your playlist Telephone And Rubber Band full track	2,480
–	4	Add this track to your playlist Air A Danser full track	2,041
–	5	Add this track to your playlist Dirt	1,632
–	6	Add this track to your playlist Air	1,581
3	7	Add this track to your playlist Yodel 1 full track	1,516
1	8	Add this track to your playlist Steady State full track	1,512
1	9	Add this track to your playlist Oscar Tango	1,468
1	10	Add this track to your playlist Paul's Dance full track	1,461
–	11	Add this track to your playlist Penguin Cafe Single full track	1,375
–	12	Add this track to your playlist Rosasolis	1,347
–	13	Add this track to your playlist White Mischief	1,307
–	14	Add this track to your playlist Southern Jukebox Music	1,206
2	15	Add this track to your playlist Heartwind	1,132
1	16	Add this track to your playlist Cutting Branches For A Temporary Shelter full track	1,124
1	17	Add this track to your playlist Harmonic Necklace full track	1,096
–	18	Add this track to your playlist Prelude And Yodel	1,004
1	19	Add this track to your playlist More Milk	994
1	20	Add this track to your playlist Another One From The Colonies	989
3	21	Add this track to your playlist Isle of View (Music for Helicopter Pilots)	947
–	22	Add this track to your playlist Walk Don't Run full track	915
3	23	Add this track to your playlist In the Back of a Taxi	912
4	24	Add this track to your playlist Yodel 2 full track	890
4	25	Add this track to your playlist The Ecstasy Of Dancing Fleas full track	887
3	26	Add this track to your playlist Nothing Really Blue	871
3	27	Add this track to your playlist Hugebaby full track	820
1	28	Add this track to your playlist Simon's Dream full track	817
2	29	Add this track to your playlist Music by Numbers	814
5	30	Add this track to your playlist Giles Farnaby's Dream	803
3	31	Add this track to your playlist Flux full track	802
1	32	Add this track to your playlist Sheep Dip	801
1	33	Add this track to your playlist Salty Bean Fumble full track	794
2	34	Add this track to your playlist Organum	791
–	35

Penguin Cafe Orchestra

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