Private Music

Private Music was founded by Peter Baumann (ex-Tangerine Dream) after years of performing as a solo artist. He came up with the name Private Music as a haven for artists to do music that their labels would ignore (hence the name). The label was bold in its mission in its infancy - ambient, electronic, accoustic, solo piano, jazz and (believe it or not) dance.

The label lived up to its name in more ways than one. It had a roster as diverse as music could get but was still branded as "new age". Acts like Leo Kottke (folk), Suzanne Ciani (ambient), Yanni (instrumental), Carlos Alomar (ambient), Dan Hartman (relaxation), Jerry Goodman (fusion jazz), David Van Tieghem (dance), Ravi Shankar (world)...the list goes on. And artists that did only one or two albums left you wanting more.

My personal favorites besides O'Hearn, Ciani, and Tangerine Dream (yeah, they were briefly on here) are "Skin Diver" by Nona Hendryx, a nice departure from the dance funk that she is known for, "New Green Clear Blue" by the late Dan Hartman, a most unusual relaxation album in the style of Harold Budd and "Strange Cargo" by David Van Teighem, am album that you can choreograph to but it isn't easy. Still, the label managed to show how to expand on its namesake before disappearing into obsurity.