WOMAD

Penguin Café

From United Kingdom

Re-ignition of the family flame
It's one thing to follow your forebears into the same profession. It's quite another to actually take on the reins of the family business. But Arthur Jeffes had no qualms about reopening the Penguin Café for business a full decade after the death of its founder, his father Simon. And while this new group stay faithful to the original repertoire (including the brilliant, brilliant Music For A Found Harmonium), Jeffes Jr is also contributing the odd new tune, his writing showing both similarities and differences with Dad's works. Everything still sounds quintessentially English, even though the Penguin Café sound was always coloured by music from beyond our shores. And, just as with the original incarnation, there's never a need or desire to plug into the mains. This is acoustic music built from the ground up, where repetition rather than amplification makes the biggest impact.

(Biography written by Nige Tassell 2011)
Photo: Steve Gullick

Music For A Found Harmonium - By Music From The Penguin Cafe

Penguin Café's » Myspace Page