Lyle Mays’ “Eberhard” serves as a bittersweet coda from a largely unsung brilliant musician who left us – as we learn here – still at the height of his powers.

Jazz piano great Lyle May passed away on February 10, 2020. Few have been able to project subtle emotions so powerfully.

When Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays’ ‘As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls’ arrived in May 1981, it sounded like nothing else in my record collection.

Metheny’s ultimate road trip song, this one always makes me feel like I’ve just escaped something.

Each song on ‘Offramp’ is so different from the next, and yet it all hangs together.

This song has become The Anthem at live shows.

“Estupenda Graca” is a rare entry in the Metheny catalog in that the title, Portuguese for “Stupendous Grace,” actually matches the mood of the song. You May Also Like: Why You Should Give Pat Metheny’s ‘Rejoicing’ Another Listen Pat Metheny, “You Are” from ‘From This Place’ (2019): One Track Mind

In interviews, I’ve seen Lyle Mays speak of how music has it’s own “language and syntax.” He wasn’t necessarily talking about music’s technicalities — harmony, melody, and the like. You May Also Like: Lyle Mays (1953-2020): An Appreciation Lyle Mays, “Eberhard” (2021): One Track Mind

Unlike a lot of American kids, I was not forced into taking piano lessons. I was more of a stringed instruments guy, first with the violin and then the guitar. You May Also Like: Pat Metheny Discovered Bold New Machine-Aided Freedoms With ‘Orchestrion’ Why Pat Metheny’s ‘New Chautauqua’ Still ProvidesRead More

I don’t know about the rest of the Pat Metheny fan base, but I was pretty much unprepared for what As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls had to offer. You May Also Like: Pat Metheny – ‘From This Place’ (2020) Aruan Ortiz, with Andrew Cyrille + Mauricio Herrera –Read More