Pat Metheny & Lyle Mays: As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls

Decoding an ECM ambient jazz classic from 1981

It all sounds like a dream, starting with a murmuring crowd and ending on the joyous sounds of playing children.

During our 20-and-a-half-minute journey, we hear an autoharp and a church organ, drum machine beats and tribal percussion, moody keyboard chords and dreamy 12-string guitar lines.

At some point, an enigmatic voice appears over proggy synth stri…