As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
Guitarist Pat Metheny and his long-time keyboard collaborator/alter ego Lyle Mays saw in their rural American roots a mystical connection to an entire world of sounds, and with As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls, they began the process of fashioning an idiomatic folk expression all their own. With the help of master percussionist Nana Vasconcelos, they create a whistlestop tour of musical outposts on the extended title track that is at once Gothic and atmospheric in the manner of Weather Report, bucolic and harmonious like the Byrds, with echoes of small-towns, strip malls and lonely railyards, over expanses of wide-open space that reflect their familial origins and countless miles wandering the interstate on a string of college-town one-nighters. In the four square major modes of "Ozark" and "It's for You" you can hear the beige tinge of the American experience that melded with African-American music to give this nation it's musical depth and breadth, while "September Fifteenth" is a prayerful, ruminative reflection on the spirit of their romantic forebear, pianist Bill Evans. --Chip Stern

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Customer reviews

review by: jock_munro date: 2006-07-06 rating:
Beautiful
It took me a long time to find this CD. I first heard some of the tracks on this used on the soundtrack for the film Fandango, a great road movie starring Kevin Costner, Judd Nelson..etc. I loved the film, but loved the music even more. It took me 10 years before I finally found out it was Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays. To finally have the CD is such a pleasure. This really is a beautifully crafted recording. It may be 25 years old, but good music never fades. "Its For You" (used in Fandango) is pure joy to listen to.

The whole CD is perfect for relaxing to. Dim the lights, light a few candles. Put the CD on a good stereo system, close your eyes and appreciate two masters at work.

I couldnt recommend this CD enough.

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review by: date: 2005-11-05 rating:
For people that don't think they like Jazz
This is another of those Jazz albums that's easily appreciated by people who don't even like the sound of Jazz music. I remember Jazz sounding chaotic the first times I heard it - no anchor points such as a verse or chorus for my ear to latch onto. Instead there was this chaotic free-for-all of people playing on top of each other to no apparent purpose & it all sounded rather directionless; a few nice key changes kept me listening & in time, I eventually 'tuned' my ear to how Jazz sounds.

"As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls" is not this difficult to listen to. Pat & Lyle always play a nice tune that's easily followed. Underneath that, there's a few interludes with field recordings - it opens with what sounds to me like a recording of low voices in an echoing concourse, such as you might get underneath a sports stand, later on somebody quietly reads out some numbers "...forty-four.....three..." that might be Lat & Long co-ordinates. Throughout the album there's Pat's signature guitar playing, always starting out quite mellow and gentle, then working up to a faster climax.

The title track is one long suite, much like a Jazz version of an early Mike Oldfield album. The final 4 tracks are beatiful piano & guitar pieces. Excellent for a dinner party if you want to play something different & you want your guests to ask "..hey, what's that? It sounds interesting."


review by: Amolad date: 2001-09-07 rating:
A Twentieth Century Classic
Despite Pat Metheny's higher profile and fame and his excellent contributions to this work, "As Falls Wichita" is really a Lyle Mays tour de force. A masterpiece of composition, performance and applied studio nous and with the addition of some of Nana Vasconcelos' greatest playing, these four tracks explore extraordinary stylistic fusion with great hutzpah and passion. The title track is an ambient classic and the others all stand as great pieces in their own right, surely the height of Pat and Lyle's time on the ECM label. Which ever way you look at it, this has to be on any modern jazz, ambient, guitar, or classical fan's must-have list.

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