You can often judge the skill of a musician by the level of respect given to them by their peers, and it’s clear that Lyle Mays, who died earlier this week, was held in very high regard indeed.
Our friends at Keyboard have put together a tribute page for Mays, a founding member of The Pat Metheny Group, featuring glowing eulogies from his contemporaries.
Rolling Stones collaborator Chuck Leavell said: “Wow... just wow... Lyle had such a unique touch…an even flow, lyrical, smooth, but powerful all at once.”
Prince collaborator Ricky Peterson, meanwhile, called Mays: “truly an inspiration with genius creativity. He slayed me.”
Producer and musician Greg Wells was also full of praise: “Lyle’s playing embraced both true modernity and tradition, and his deep musicality evoked a dreamlike evocative state regardless of a fast or slow tempo. Lyle Mays was a musical lock for me, and he is still who I’d like to sound like when I grow up."
You can read the full selection of tributes on the Keyboard website.
