Wednesday, Sept 24, 2025 – Program 2538C

The 40th anniversary of Patrick O’Hearn’s debut album, Ancient Dreams.

We celebrate the 40^th anniversary of Patrick O’Hearn’s debut album, Ancient Dreams. Patrick O’Hearn has been one of the defining voices of modern electronic music. Until the rise of Yanni, he was one of the signature artists of the Private Music label. Since his debut album, Ancient Dreams in 1985, he’s continued releasing finely-crafted, deeply-textured music on CDs like El Dorado and So Flows the Current. There’s a depth to Patrick O’Hearn’s music that comes from a wide range of experience, from straight-ahead jazz with Charles Lloyd, to MTV pop with Missing Persons; from sarcastic rock and roll with Frank Zappa, to ethereal ambient music on his own. The fact that he’s a fine bassist as well as keyboardist has always given O’Hearn’s music a darker, soulful edge. Patrick is one of the icons of Echoes, and 50 years later, his first album still sounds as seductive and timeless as his latest, which sadly is from 2011. O’Hearn has been keeping a low profile for most of this century. Of his 13 proper solo albums, there is not a dud in the batch. Not even close. This signature release, Ancient Dreams was a road map of mood and mystery and set the tone for the Private Music label. We’ll hear music from this classic album and an interview with Patrick.  Join John Diliberto for an ancient dream made 40 years ago.

See our list of Five Essential Patrick O’Hearn Albums.