As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls

As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls is an album by jazz guitarist Pat Metheny and jazz pianist Lyle Mays recorded in September 1980 and released on ECM April the following year. The trio features percussionist Naná Vasconcelos.

As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls
Studio album by Pat Metheny & Lyle Mays
Released	April 27, 1981
Recorded	September 1980
Studio	Talent Studio, Oslo, Norway
Genre	Jazz fusion
Length	43:34
Label	ECM 1190
Producer	Manfred Eicher
Pat Metheny chronology
80/81 (1980) As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls (1981) Offramp (1982)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
DownBeat	[2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[3]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings	[4]
Rolling Stone	[5]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide	[6]

Background

The title makes reference to Wichita, Kansas, and Wichita Falls, Texas. The title track is just under 21 minutes.

Throughout the album, Metheny acts as the lead guitarist, accompanying guitarist, and bassist using the overdubbing technique. 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. Both "September Fifteenth" and "It's for You" appear in the score for the 1985 film Fandango. "It's for You" was later covered by Akiko Yano, with Metheny on guitar, for her 1989 album, Welcome Back.

A section of the title track (starting at 14:56) has been used by Christian Dior for the Fahrenheit perfume and cologne ads since 1988.

Track listing

Side one:

No.	Title	Length
1.	"As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls"	20:44

All music is composed by Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays

Side two:

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

• Pat Metheny – electric and acoustic 6- and 12-string guitars, bass guitar
• Lyle Mays – piano, Prophet 5 & Oberheim FVS synthesizers, electric organ, autoharp
• Naná Vasconcelos – berimbau, percussion, drums, vocals

Charts

Year	Chart	Position
1981	Billboard Jazz Albums	1
1981	Billboard Pop Albums[7]	50

References

1. Cook, Stephen (2011). "As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls – Lyle Mays | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
2. DownBeat Review, October 1981, pp. 46-47
3. Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
4. Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 995. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
5. Shewey, Don (2011). "Pat Metheny: As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 1 March 2009. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
6. Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 139. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
7. "Pat Metheny Billboard 200 Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved December 4, 2023.