Lyle Mays
| Lyle Mays | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Lyle David Mays |
| Born |
November 27, 1953 Wausaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz, jazz fusion, contemporary classical |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer, software manager |
| Instruments | Keyboards |
| Years active | 1975–present |
| Labels | ECM, Geffen, Warner Bros., Naxos |
| Associated acts | Pat Metheny Group |
Lyle Mays (born November 27, 1953) is an American jazz pianist and composer from Wausaukee, Wisconsin. He is best known as a member of the Pat Metheny Group. Metheny and Mays composed and arranged almost all of the group's music, and with the group Mays has won eleven Grammy Awards.
While growing up, Mays had four main interests: chess, mathematics, architecture, and music. His parents were musically inclined – his mother was a pianist, his father was a guitarist – and he was able to study the piano with the help of instructor Rose Barron. She allowed Mays the opportunity to practice improvisation after the structured elements of the lesson were completed. At age 9 he played organ at a family member's wedding, and at age 14 he began to play organ in church. In summer camp he was introduced to important jazz artists.
Bill Evans' album Live in Montreux and Miles Davis' album Filles de Kilimanjaro were important influences on his formation as a jazz musician. He graduated from the University of North Texas after attending the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. He composed and arranged for the One O'Clock Lab Band and was the composer and arranger of Grammy nominated album Lab 75.
After leaving North Texas, Mays toured with Woody Herman's group for approximately eight months. In 1974, he met Pat Metheny with whom he later founded the Pat Metheny Group. Mays has won eleven Grammy Awards with the Pat Metheny Group and has been nominated for four others for his own work.
In an interview with JAZZIZ magazine in 2016, Mays revealed his current career as a software manager.
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