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The Penguin Cafe Orchestra (PCO) was founded by British composer Simon Jeffes (1949 - 1997). Born in Sussex, England, and raised in Canada and around Europe, Jeffes began playing the guitar at the age of 13 and later studied classical guitar, piano, and music theory at Chiswick Polytechnic, though he dropped out before graduating. In 1972, while living in Japan, he developed an interest in ethnic music, particularly African styles, and sought to merge these with traditional Western sounds. This led to the creation of the PCO as an outlet for his compositions, characterized by an eclectic hybrid approach. Jeffes often recounted that the "Penguin Cafe" concept came to him in a dream during a bout of food poisoning in the south of France in the summer of 1972, inspiring him to write a poem that began, "I am the proprietor of the Penguin Cafe, I will tell you things at random." He described the group's music as "modern semi-acoustic chamber music." The Penguin Cafe Orchestra is based in London, UK.

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