Lyle Mays (1953-2020)

Just after having posted my review of Pat Metheny's latest album, I was shocked and disheartened to learn that Lyle Mays, Metheny's keyboardist in the Pat Metheny Group (PMG) from the 1970s to the 2000s, had passed away earlier this month at the age of 66.

Mays was instrumental to the sound of PMG with his lush, orchestral textures, in addition to his traditional jazz piano playing. Critics and fans alike had considered Metheny and Mays a songwriting duo as important and influential as that of John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

I was fortunate to see Mays live in concert with PMG twice, first at the State Theatre in New Brunswick, New Jersey, in the early 1990s, and then again at the Beacon Theatre in New York City in the early 2000s.

In recent years, Mays had retired from music and was working in computer software management.

For a while, I had been planning to post a playlist of my ten favorite PMG songs to celebrate the release of Metheny's latest album. I now offer it in tribute and dedicate it to the memory of Lyle Mays.

The Search * James * Chris * Last Train Home * Slip Away * Facing West * Rain River * Here to Stay * Follow Me * Wherever You Go

--Raj Manoharan