The Red Book Penguin Cafe

• 1 Aurora 04:59
• 2 Solaris 04:26
• 3 Black Hibiscus 05:14
• 4 Bluejay 04:18
• 5 Radio Bemba 02:26
• 6 Catania 05:38
• 7 1420 05:55
• 8 And Yet... 06:21
• 9 Moonbo 04:41
• 10 Odeon 02:48
• 11 (The Roaring of a) Silent Sun 02:55
• Total Runtime 49:41

Info for The Red Book

The sophomore release from the freshly re-imagined Penguin Cafe is the culmination of two years work that has seen Arthur Jeffes - son of original composer and Penguin Cafe Orchestra founder Simon Jeffes - investigate whole new areas of sound and vibrancy, alongside his eclectic collection of musicians and characters, marking an ambitious extension from their debut 'A Matter of Life' (2011). The catalyst for the new recording came about when Jeffes worked on a project with the International Space Orchestra and NASA Ames in 2012, out of which came the pieces Aurora and 1420, which have since been beamed into space as part of NASA's Kepler project. These touchstones marked a satellitic beginning for a new album, a collection of songs that would then return to earth to undertake a rich, cross-continental, musical journey.

"The essence of what made Penguin Cafe Orchestra is here: the music is dreamlike and does indeed touch the heart of the listener. Yet Jeffes Jnr achieves this differently; compared to his father's work, which is full of enduring melodies that often verged on the experimental, this is more composed and less wild. That certainly doesn't mean it's as affecting, though. The spirit of Simon Jeffes lives on, but with a satisfying new dimension to it. He would be proud of Arthur no doubt." (Music.comh.com)

Penguin Cafe

Penguin Cafe
was founded by Arthur Jeffes in 2009, bringing together a talented and disparate group of musicians initially to perform his father Simon Jeffes’ legacy of world-renowned PCO music, ten years after his untimely death in 1997.

Arthur, a talented composer in his own right, quickly began to create new and unique genre-defying music, blending classical instruments like violins and cellos with unexpected elements like ukuleles and melodicas, the spellbinding philosophy of the Penguin Cafe always in his mind.

The 2024-2025 UK & Ireland Tour ‘Penguin Cafe performs Music from the Penguin Cafe Orchestra’ pays homage to the original PCO music featuring performances of classic compositions that have been captivating listeners for decades. Audiences can expect to hear beloved works like ‘Music from a Found Harmonium’ and ‘Perpetuum Mobile’ delivered with the ensemble’s signature warmth and inventiveness. This tour not only celebrates the enduring legacy of the Penguin Cafe Orchestra but also showcases the continued evolution of their sound under Arthur Jeffes direction. To commemorate the tour Universal Music has re-released all of the original PCO albums on limited edition Vinyl, and the original iconic PCO album cover paintings by Emily Young are available to own as limited edition art prints for the first time.

This album contains no booklet.