Pat Metheny & Lyle Mays - As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls (ECM, 1981)

 This post is by Dan

Pat Metheny (guitars, b); Lyle Mays (kybds); Nana Vasconcelos (perc., vo)

Recorded September 1980

Pat Metheny needs no introduction to jazz fans or to the broader listening audience. I enjoyed his early ECM albums, including As Falls Wichita. I liked his sound, his tunes, and the ECM production values. After a few years, however, I turned away from the more commercial of Metheny’s albums, which sounded like “smooth jazz” to me. But I stuck with As Falls Wichita because of two tracks: the 20:44 minute title track and the haunting elegy to Bill Evans – “September Fifteenth.”

This is a highly produced album and is co-led by Lyle Mays and features Nana Vasconcelos. The title track adds ambient sounds of children’s voices and a sense of space which puts the listener on a journey of both sights and sounds. Metheny’s Midwestern origins probably inspired the aural visions on this track. Mays is a master at writing and creating atmospheres from his various keyboards. I can’t think of many comparable pieces of music in jazz or outside of jazz. 

“Ozark” and "It's for You" are more typical Metheny of the time. They bring smiles and energy and few challenges. Metheny would capitalize on these virtues for many years, in addition to experimenting in a number of different directions, ranging from Ornette Coleman's music to grunge to large orchestral works. His success is richly deserved. For me, the moody title track and the Evans tribute make As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls my favorite Pat Metheny album.