As Falls Wichita So Falls Wichita Falls – Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays

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Music to Blow Smoke Rings Across The Floor
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From the album of the same name, this twenty minute monster is a masterpiece; a musical narrative that might be a film score, but isn’t!

Is it jazz? I guess it comes under that umbrella but it was nothing like any jazz I’d ever heard before. Needless to say it’s made up of several movements and includes the sound of a helicopter, children’s laughter and Pat speaking some numbers. Never have worked out the significance of them…just to add to the mix, Brazilian percussion virtuoso Nana Vasconcelos plays as well. It’s an excursion into sound effects that seems to turn a playground into a stadium and has riveting interruptions of great authority followed by digital narration, literally, interspersed with glorious crescendos and great anthemic sweeps of emotion.

Released in 1981 (really so long ago??) Pat plays bass and rhythm and lead guitar thanks to the overdubbing while Lyle is on the keyboards including the auto harp; Pat also plays his 12 string guitar which gives the piece something of an oriental flavour at times. A particularly interesting movement about a third of the way in of the composition comes when a drum machine pattern is set against a “talking” drum – check it out!

Anthemic indeed.

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About the Curator: Richard Parsons

I grew up listening to music from the late 60’s onwards. Pirate pop radio; swapping LP’s with friends; exploring genres; daydreaming over the latest woofer and tweeter.

In reality I spent thirty years imparting imperfect knowledge of English literature and drama to young minds in school. Regrets? No. I loved teaching; loved the interaction with the pupils, and made lifelong friends as a result. And what better way to keep up to date with music? I always played stuff in my lessons, and as a result, I’d be bombarded with suggestions from my flock! “Sir! Have you heard…?”

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Richard Parsons

Richard Parsons

I grew up listening to music from the late 60’s onwards. Pirate pop radio; swapping LP’s with friends; exploring genres; daydreaming over the latest woofer and tweeter. In reality I spent thirty years imparting imperfect knowledge of English literature and drama to young minds in school. Regrets? No. I loved teaching; loved the interaction with the pupils, and made lifelong friends as a result. And what better way to keep up to date with music? I always played stuff in my lessons, and as a result, I’d be bombarded with suggestions from my flock! “Sir! Have you heard…?”