As Falls Wichita, so Falls Wichita Falls
AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Albums:
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As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls
- Artist: Pat Metheny/Lyle Mays
- Rating:
- Release Date: 1980 09
- Total Time: 43:34
- Type: Instrumental
- Genre: Jazz
Review
The regrettable title aside, this joint solo effort by Metheny and regular pianist and collaborator Lyle Mays is an impressive outing. In the process of stretching out away from the confines of the quartet setting of prior albums, Metheny and Mays presage the sleeker and more ethereal sound of the band's Geffen years on portions of the title track. And while this side-long number has some dreamy moments, it also bogs down in a trite climax or two; one gets the sense of a jazz fusion and prog rock marriage Metheny luckily never fully explored. Minor flaws, really, since the piece holds together in spite of the worrisome lapses of taste. The balance of the album is just fine, with the highlight being the Bill Evans remembrance, "September Fifteenth" (the date of Evan's passing, which occurred while the album was being recorded). Metheny and Mays appropriately opt for a serene and slightly elegiac piano and acoustic guitar duet. The set is balanced out by the fleet Americana of "Ozark" and the streamlined swinger "It's for You." Topped off by integral and tasteful percussion by future band regular Nana Vasconcelos, this 1981 Metheny date is certainly a worthwhile disc for fans to seek out, while not being essential. ~ Stephen Cook, Rovi| As Fadas De Estrano Nome (1997 Album by Milladoiro) | |
| As Famous as We Want to Be (2004 Album by The Edison Show) |
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As Falls Wichita, so Falls Wichita Falls
| As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays | ||||
| Released | May 1981 | |||
| Recorded | September 1980 | |||
| Genre | Fusion, Jazz | |||
| Length | 43:34 | |||
| Label | ECM | |||
| Producer | Manfred Eicher | |||
| Pat Metheny chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Rolling Stone |   [1] |
| Allmusic | [2] |
As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls is a collaborative album by Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays, released in 1981. The title makes reference to Wichita, Kansas and Wichita Falls, Texas. The title tune clocks in at just under 21 minutes.
It is one of the only albums where Metheny not only acts as both the lead and accompanying guitarist but also the bassist, as each track uses fair amounts of overdubbing. The track "September Fifteenth" is in reference to September 15, 1980, the day the American jazz pianist Bill Evans died. Metheny and Mays cite Evans as a main influence.
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Contents
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Track listing
All music composed by Pat Metheny & Lyle Mays.
| Side I | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length | |||||||
| 1. | "As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls" | 20:44 | |||||||
| Side II | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length | |||||||
| 1. | "Ozark" | 4:03 | |||||||
| 2. | "September Fifteenth" (dedicated to Bill Evans) | 7:45 | |||||||
| 3. | "It's for You" | 8:20 | |||||||
| 4. | "Estupenda Graça" | 2:40 | |||||||
Personnel
- Lyle Mays - piano, synthesizer, organ, autoharp
- Pat Metheny - electric and acoustic six and twelve string guitars, bass
- Nana Vasconcelos - barimbau, percussion, drums, vocals
Charts
Album - Billboard
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Jazz Albums | 1 |
| 1981 | Pop Albums | 50 |
Trivia
- The slight deviation of the name of the album is heard repeatedly as a line from the movie The Ice Harvest. The line in the movie is, "As Wichita Falls, So Falls Wichita Falls," rather than, "As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls."
- In the anti-nuclear movie "Dark Circle", during the discussion of the Diablo Canyon Power Plant nuclear reactors' earthquake supports for the cooling system having been installed backwards, part of the song "As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls" plays. The song is also mentioned in the movie's ending credits.
- The spoken words "38, 42, 55, 3" in the title track occur at 14:38, 14:42, 14:55, and 15:03 into the recording. An excerpt from this track was chosen in 1988 as a sound effect to a Fragrance TV-commercial (Fahrenheit by Christian Dior), which made it more recognizable to the audience as the Fahrenheit music track.
- The songs "September 15th" and "It's for You" were featured in the Kevin Reynolds film Fandango.
- "It's for You" was featured in WWOR-TV's "Community Calendar" commercial during the 1980s and 1990s.
- According to Pat Metheny, the titles of the album and title track came from jazz musician Steve Swallow.
- Akiko Yano, a Japanese jazz vocalist and pianist, covered "It's for You" with Pat Metheny in her album Welcome Back (1989).
References
- ^ Shewey, Don (2011 [last update]). "Pat Metheny: As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone". Archived from the original on 1 March 2009. http://web.archive.org/web/20090301050324/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/patmetheny/albums/album/104763/review/5943332/as_falls_wichita_so_falls_wichita_falls. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
- ^ Cook, Stephen (2011 [last update]). "As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls - Lyle Mays | AllMusic". allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/album/as-falls-wichita-so-falls-wichita-falls-r164598. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
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