School of Rock
Random article All articles A–Z
2 languages

Lyle Mays

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Lyle Mays was an American jazz pianist and composer, best known as a co-founder of the Pat Metheny Group. He was born in 1953 and grew up in rural Wisconsin. His mother played piano and organ, and at the age of nine he was already sitting at the organ at a wedding. Important influences were Bill Evans and the Miles Davis album Filles de Kilimanjaro. He studied at the University of North Texas, wrote there for the One O'Clock Lab Band and then toured for eight months with Woody Herman's big band.

Music and breakthrough

In 1975 he met Pat Metheny at the Wichita jazz festival and shortly afterwards the two founded the Pat Metheny Group. For thirty-three years Mays was the group's pianist, keyboardist, sound designer and composer. Together with Metheny he wrote almost all the music, with which the group won eleven Grammys. Mays played piano, organ and synthesizers, and sometimes accordion or trumpet as well. His own albums include Lyle Mays from 1986, Street Dreams from 1988 and Fictionary from 1993. He also wrote music for children's audiobooks and chamber music.

Influence

Mays saw himself more as a contemporary composer than as a jazz pianist. He worked with long forms, harmonically rich and with a broad palette of keyboard colours. After 2010 he no longer performed and worked, among other things, in the software world. He died in 2020.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Distance by the Pat Metheny Group, a piece that Mays wrote for Still Life (Talking). Notice the role of piano and synthesizers alongside the guitar.

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.

Categories: Artists