#lylemays

Pat Metheny Group – The Way Up

The Way Up is the eleventh and final studio album by the Pat Metheny Group. It was released in 2005 and won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album in 2006. It is the last Pat Metheny album to feature long-time collaborator Lyle Mays

Pat Metheny & Lyle Mays – As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls

As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls is an album by jazz guitarist Pat Metheny and jazz pianist Lyle Mays recorded in September 1980 and released on ECM April the following year. The trio features percussionist Naná Vasconcelos.

The title of the album was suggested by a friend of Metheny, who thought that it was the only title that fit the “vagueness of the music”. As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls comprises a 20 minute title track and four additional shorter compositions. Over the span of five years, Metheny and Mays had pieced together remnants of compositions that they deemed unsuitable for the Pat Metheny Group. After three years, they had settled on enough material to warrant the creation of an album. Metheny commented that As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls marked the first time that synthesizers were used extensively on one of his albums.

Lyle Mays Quartet – The Ludwigsburg Concert

Lyle Mays – Eberhard

"Eberhard" is a 13-minute posthumous "mini-symphony" by legendary jazz keyboardist Lyle Mays, released on August 27, 2021. Key Details • A Personal Tribute: The piece is a dedicated homage to German bassist and composer Eberhard Weber, whose unique aesthetic deeply influenced Mays and the Pat Metheny Group. • Final Masterpiece: Although released after his death in February 2020, Mays was fully engaged in its creation, serving as composer, arranger, and performer (piano, synthesizers) until his final days. • All-Star Ensemble: The 16-piece recording features notable collaborators including: o Bill Frisell (Guitar) o Alex Acuña (Drums/Percussion) o Steve Rodby (Acoustic Bass) o Aubrey Johnson (Featured Vocals & Niece of Mays) • Awards: The composition won the 2022 Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition. Musical Character The work is described as an "immaculately through-composed" journey that blends Midwestern lyricism, classical motivic development, and cinematic vistas. It opens with a marimba ostinato and builds through various sections, including a climax featuring a tenor saxophone solo by Bob Sheppard.

Reception: “I am really overwhelmed and moved. It is impossible to express my thankfulness and gratitude that Lyle produced that CD,” - Eberhard Weber, August 2021

The Magic of Samples & Freedom in Playing.

Lyle Mays With Marc Johnson And Jack DeJohnette – Fictionary

Keyboardist Lyle Mays, a pioneer of contemporary jazz and a longtime creative partner to guitarist Pat Metheny, recorded the album Fictionary on April 23 in 1992 in New York City. A trio recording, Mays recruited two close personal friends and fellow jazz titans to appear alongside him: drummer Jack DeJohnette and bassist Marc Johnson. Known mostly for his work as a fusion trailblazer, Fictionary reveals a more bop-oriented facet of Mays’ playing; it’s quite possibly his most straightahead recording to date.