Lasting Legacy

[ GREGG KARUKAS ]

As a composer and piano and synth player (and pinball and billiard wizard) Lyle was PEERLESS, as far as I'm concerned, along with Russell Ferrante - 2 beacons of contemporary, instrumental music in their respective groups: The Pat Metheny Group and Yellowjackets.

Much has been said about Lyle's early prodigious musicality; his great ears as a kid. I first heard about Lyle from my high school bandmate, who went on to North Texas and recorded the NTSU Lab Band LP in 1975 with Lyle's compositions and arrangements. (decades later my kids played “F.M.” and “Minuano” in high school jazz band).

The formative big band works he composed as a young student shows he had already mastered some very mature writing skills and it still stands up. Fortunately, Lyle came up in a period that was so fertile and diverse, with inspiration from great works of pianists Bill Evans, Herbie, and especially Keith Jarrett's wide ranging output (including the Belonging/My Song "EuroJazz" group), Miles, and fusion groups (Mahavishnu Orchestra, Return to Forever, Weather Report) pushing boundaries with highly composed and arranged epics, as well as melodic songwriters, like James Taylor, The Beatles and Joni Mitchell.

Lyle's deep classical music and orchestral knowledge was always an influence, and his voice leading showed a familiar, yet adventurous melodic sense. It didn't have to sound like straight ahead "jazz"; and that follows perfectly with his hooking up with Pat, where they both added their own lyrical, super-dynamic song-form concepts to create the unique sound of the Pat Metheny Group. An uplifting, emotional feeling with a fearless desire for experimentation is what distinguishes the compositional output from Lyle and Pat through the years. Proud to be part of an ensemble, Lyle always complimented his bandmates, who all refer to him as a true genius/polymath.

Buying a Steinway grand in the beginning, and hauling it to every show, was a big investment for Pat, AND a big endorsement of Lyle's role as collaborator and primarily, "acoustic pianist". Getting it miked up to blend with the larger sound of the PMG was another challenge, but the consistency of the same instrument proved to be the key to Lyle's comfort as the tours got longer and the stages got bigger.

Always tasteful, with unlimited chops, Lyle "told" a compelling story with every composition and solo. Tasteful, to me, means avoiding cliches and showboating, serving the song and its "texture". His way of floating his right hand tuplets and other rhythmic figures skating over the time is another personal touch, adding to cool tension and release.........his signature breakdowns, where the band drops down and plays shifting, moody chords that build to a crescendo, and usually a rising tone center, into the next section. Some big band influenced block chord parts on songs like "Have You Heard." The octave parts were a big element of his style too, adding equal intensity when the band was really blazing.

Lyle's synth work showed a warm, orchestral approach that was a wonderful antidote to what most synth-exploring players had done up to that point; (stepping out front with guitar-like leads or more electronic sounds). Lots of lower range cello, ocarina, or french horn 'like' parts that complimented the guitar and grand piano. With his pad sounds, especially the Oberheim 4 voice, he detuned each voice and made them modulate subtly and asynchronously, so they had a much more organic sound than a typical "string patch.” He created many wonderful soundscapes for his solo records and the scores he did for children's books. Live on stage, he added those distinctive "voices" on synths for melodies with lots of expression, and he also handled the complex multi-keyboard setup with relative ease, given the issues of reliability that plagued these cutting edge instruments. Seeing the evolution of the PMG up close, I was always impressed that they brought their own "production" (stereo sound, lights, Steinway) to even the smallest venues, such as the 100 seat Cellar Door in Washington, DC. The whole arrangement of the PMG music left equal "space" for piano, all of Lyle's different synth colors, and especially his "signature" lead sounds. Don't forget the "analog" autoharp.

My favorite “Lyle” tracks are "Close to Home", a masterpiece with a revolving melody that can always bring tears. "September 15th." "Chorinho" is a tour de force of piano playing, a tribute to Hermeto Pascoal, the iconic Brazilian composer/multi- instrumentalist where Lyle sounds like 3 players at once. "Bill Evans", a folk-like ballad with a rich harmonic progression. The whole, Ludwigsburg Concert is fantastic. A full show of Lyle's great piano and compositions.

Photo credit: Sherry Ryan Barnett