Quintessentially Lyle Mays

[ MARC JOHNSON ]

Can you tell us your impressions about Lyle upon meeting him for the first time?  

The first time I saw Lyle,  all I saw was his hair.  His back was to me as I entered the rehearsal/audition space somewhere near the university campus. Local Denton, Texas bandleader, crooner and alto sax player, John Racina hired young aspiring jazz students/players to work month-long six-night-a-week engagements in nearby Ft Worth and in the summer of 74, Lyle and I answered the call and got the gig.  Lyle’s thick, frizzy, wavy hair was half way down his back.  I think I went through the whole first rehearsal without ever seeing his face. I had heard about Lyle on campus because he was already making a splash as the transfer student from Wisconsin who was writing big band music for the famous One O’Clock big band at North Texas State University.  I was also attending the music school there, but had been concentrating on the classical program so wasn’t sharing time or classes yet with Lyle.  I was a budding jazz bassist making jam sessions off campus, but at that time, not yet anywhere near approaching Lyle’s level.  To my estimation, Lyle could already be considered a professional improviser and musician. 

What made Lyle such a special musician?

Lyle’s compositional skills were impressive.  His ability to create transitions and weave sections of music together was quite remarkable.  His knowledge of harmony was vast and was richly informed by 20th century composers from Stravinsky to Steve Reich as well as rock and pop musicians from Frank Zappa to Earth, Wind and Fire.  He was concerned with long forms and taking listeners on long musical trips.  Along those lines as an orchestrator, Lyle was a colorist with an array of synthesizers and keyboards that were quite individual and singular to him.  Lyle’s sound.  Lyle found a way to integrate synthesized sounds with acoustic instruments that for me, has never been duplicated.  In the Pat Metheny Group, and in his own projects, Lyle has a unique place in the world.  

Name one thing that surprised you about Lyle?

In school, I was surprised by how intensely Lyle could stay with a subject or an activity until he mastered it. It’s like he wouldn’t sleep once he dived into something.  Like foosball.  Or pinball.  Or any kind of game.  Later on in life, he taught himself to write code for computer programming, was a master chess player and was tournament pool player. And let’s not forget his Lego designs and sculptures. He was a pretty good basketball player too until he jammed a finger one day and realized he should probably give that activity up.

Was there a favorite track that you especially loved performing with Lyle (live or studio)?

SLINK.  It’s quintessentially Lyle Mays.  It’s a wonderful example of modern counterpoint that builds to an inevitable conclusion. Just a great piece of music.  Of course, like most of the music Lyle presented me to play, it was technically challenging and demanding to execute.  That was also the fun of it.  When Lyle first showed it to me at a rehearsal in Boston it was exhilarating to play it.  After working at it for several hours, I asked him how it felt to compose it.  With his face beaming and with much enthusiasm he said, “It felt GREAT!”  

Photo: Joseph Knaepen