Private Music

Private Music is a United States record company founded in 1984 by experimental musician Peter Baumann, as a home for instrumental music. Initially signing such artists as Yanni, Suzanne Ciani, Patrick O'Hearn, and Baumann's former bandmates Tangerine Dream, the record label specialized in New Age music, but soon made a sharp turn to mainstream niches, with signings of Taj Mahal, Ringo Starr, Etta James, A.J. Croce, and many more. Its releases were distributed by then-emerging BMG, which bought Private Music in 1996.

History

In 1989, Baumann hired veteran Warner Bros. Records' music executive Ron Goldstein. As Private Music's President & CEO, Goldstein moved the offices from New York City to Los Angeles, and expanded the staff to include former publicist for U2, Tony Bennett and Warners' "Musicians for Life", Karen Johnson. Together, they expanded the label's image. Baumann recruited the well-respected mainstream A&R executive Jamie Cohen, also a painter, while Goldstein directed Johnson's "artist re-development" efforts, with such eclectic veteran-artist signings as Taj Mahal, Etta James, Ringo Starr, Jennifer Warnes, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Toots Thielemans, Jimmy Witherspoon, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Eliza Gilkyson, Joy Askew, The Pahinui Brothers, Kenny Rankin, while expanding the catalogs of Yanni, Leo Kottke, Andy Summers, Ravi Shankar, with debuts from A.J. Croce, Susan Werner, etc. An international marketing department was added, helmed by longtime Sony Music executive JP Bommel. Goldstein also entered into a joint venture with House of Blues' record label (Cissy Houston, John Mooney). Visual image was important to Goldstein who handpicked exquisite art director Melanie Penny, previously of Virgin Records, as VP, Creative Services, through the life of Private Music.

Private Music's recordings earned multiple Grammy awards and nominations, and achieved high recognition on national television, with numerous artist appearances on The Late Show With David Letterman, The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson and Jay Leno, Late Night With Conan O'Brien, The Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN, Entertainment Tonight, etc. The label's recordings by Taj Mahal, produced by John Porter, spawned the Phantom Blues Band which continues as a mainstay in blues recordings and concerts. Late in 1997, Private Music traded its vibe as a music "home" to a corporate "unit" (BMG). In 2001, Private Music became part of the short-lived Arista Associated Labels which also included Windham Hill, but by 2004, after Sony and BMG merged, the label's releases switched to RCA and currently, no reissues have been set. Like its mentor (Warner Bros. Records), Private Music's business model leaves an example for indie artists who exemplify (Goldstein's A&R criteria of) "quality and excellence." Following his Private Music tenure, Goldstein served as President & CEO of the Verve Music Group label at Universal Music Group, in New York City. Johnson maintains KJPR Publicity & Artist Relations, in Los Angeles and New York City. Bommel is a Senior Vice President at MIDEM. Sadly, both Jamie Cohen and Melanie Penny, who enjoyed lucrative artistic careers, passed in 2008, 2009, respectively.

Discography

• Carlos Alomar
  • Dream Generator (1988)

• Joy Askew

• Azuma
  • Azuma
  • The Wanderer

• Bounce the Ocean
  • Bounce the Ocean

• Suzanne Ciani
  • Seven Waves (1982)
  • The Velocity of Love (1986)
  • Neverland (1988)
  • History of My Heart (1989)
  • Pianissimo (1990)
  • Hotel Luna (1991)
  • The Private Music of Suzanne Ciani (1992, compilation)

• Michael Colina
  • Rituals
  • Shadow of Urbano

• A. J. Croce
  • That's Me in the Bar (1995)

• The Fabulous Thunderbirds
  • Roll of the Dice (1995)

• Bill Gable
  • There Were Signs

• Eliza Gilkyson
  • Through the Looking Glass (1992)

• Philip Glass
  • Passages (1990, with Ravi Shankar)

• Jerry Goodman
  • On the Future of Aviation (1985)
  • Ariel (1986)
  • It's Alive (1987, live)

• Mike Gordon
  • Clone (2002, with Leo Kottke)

• Dan Hartman
  • New Green, Clear Blue (1989)

• Nona Hendryx
  • Skin Diver (1989)

• James Newton Howard
  • Promised Land (1985, soundtrack)

• Lucia Hwong
  • House of Sleeping Beauties (1985)
  • Secret Luminescence (1987)

• Etta James
  • Mystery Lady: Songs of Billie Holiday (1994)
  • Time after Time (1995)
  • Love's Been Rough on Me (1997)

• Eddie Jobson
  • Theme of Secrets (1985)

• Leo Kottke
  • A Shout Toward Noon (1986)
  • Regards from Chuck Pink (1988)
  • My Father's Face (1989)
  • That's What (1990)
  • Great Big Boy (1991)
  • Peculiaroso (1994)
  • Leo Kottke Live (1995)
  • Standing in My Shoes (1997)
  • One Guitar, No Vocals (1999)
  • Clone (2002, with Mike Gordon)

• Diego Modena, Jean-Philippe Audin
  • Ocarina
  • Ocarina II

• Kate & Anna McGarrigle
  • Heartbeats Accelerating (1990)

• Patrick O'Hearn
  • Ancient Dreams (1985)
  • Between Two Worlds (1986)
  • Rivers Gonna Rise (1988)
  • Eldorado (1989)
  • Mix-Up (1990, remixes)
  • Indigo (1991)
  • The Private Music of Patrick O'Hearn (1992, compilation)

• The Pahinui Brothers

• Sanford Ponder
  • Etosha - Private Music in the Land of Dry Water
  • Tigers Are Brave

• Willy Porter

• Kenny Rankin

• Leon Redbone
  • Christmas Island (1987)
  • Up a Lazy River (1992)

• Shadowfax
  • The Odd Get Even (1990)

• Ravi Shankar
  • Tana Mana (1987)
  • Inside the Kremlin (1988)
  • Passages (1990, with Philip Glass)
  • Bridges: Best of Private Music Recordings (2001, compilation)

• Ringo Starr
  • Time Takes Time (1992)

• Andy Summers
  • Mysterious Barricades (1988)
  • The Golden Wire (1989)
  • Charming Snakes (1990)
  • World Gone Strange (1991)

• Taj Mahal
  • Like Never Before (1991)
  • Dancing the Blues (1993)
  • Phantom Blues (1996)
  • Señor Blues (1997)
  • The Best of the Private Years (2000, compilation)

• Tangerine Dream
  • Optical Race (1988)
  • Lily on the Beach (1989)
  • Miracle Mile (1989, soundtrack)
  • Melrose (1990)
  • The Private Music of Tangerine Dream (1992, compilation)

• John Tesh
  • Tour de France (1988)
  • Tour de France... The Early Years (1990)

• Toots Thielemans

• David Van Tieghem
  • Safety in Numbers (1987)
  • Strange Cargo (1989)

• Jennifer Warnes

• Susan Werner

• Jimmy Witherspoon

• Yanni
  • Optimystique (1984)
  • Keys to Imagination (1986)
  • Out of Silence (1987)
  • Chameleon Days (1988)
  • Niki Nana (1989)
  • Reflections of Passion (1990)
  • In Celebration of Life (1991)
  • Dare to Dream (1992)
  • In My Time (1993)
  • Yanni Live at the Acropolis (1994)
  • A Collection of Romantic Themes (1994, compilation)
  • Devotion: The Best of Yanni (1997, compilation)
  • In the Mirror (1997, compilation)
  • Enraptured: A Collection of Yanni Favorites (1997, compilation)
  • The Private Years (1999, compilation)
  • Winter Light (1999, compilation)
  • Love Songs (1999, compilation)
  • Ultimate Yanni (2003, compilation)
  • The Collection (2006, compilation)

• Dan Zanes
  • Cool Down Time (1995)

• Various (samplers)
  • Piano One (1985)
  • The World of Private Music, Vol. 1 (1986)
  • The World of Private Music, Vol. 2
  • The Private Music Sampler 1988 (1988)
  • The Private Music Sampler, Vol. 4
  • The Private Music Sampler, Vol. 5
  • Piano Two
  • Polar Shift (1991)

References

This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2009)

External links

• Private Music at Discogs
• Johnson, Karen. http://kjprkarenjohnson.wordpress.com/ (WordPress, September 5, 2009.)