Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Will Lyle: L.A. Source Codes

Will Lyle: L.A. Source Codes

By Kyle Simpler
June 25, 2021
View read count

For computer programmers, a source code is a piece of computer language, which they are able to read and transfer and put to use in a practical way. With his debut album, L.A. Source Codes, bassist

Will Lyle

bass, acoustic

" data-original-title="" title="">Will Lyle makes a connection between this concept and jazz. As with computer programming, jazz has its own language, and learning the language of jazz can be somewhat challenging. A skilled player, however, can take musical "source codes," such as chords, scales and arpeggios, and transform them into music.

Lyle, who was born in 1994, started playing bass when he was 12. In the years since he has created a pretty impressive r��sum��. After his graduation from Berklee College of Music, he went on to play with numerous artists, including

Jon Mayer

piano
b.1938

" data-original-title="" title="">Jon Mayer,

Bob Sheppard

saxophone, tenor
b.1952

" data-original-title="" title="">Bob Sheppard and

Joshua Breakstone

piano
b.1955

" data-original-title="" title="">Joshua Breakstone to name a few. He also received a presidential scholarship to study bass with legendary bassist,

Ron Carter

bass
b.1937

" data-original-title="" title="">Ron Carter.

L.A. Source Codes brings musicians from three different generations to the recording. Dedicated to the memory of Lyle's mentor,

Ralph Peterson

drums
1962 - 2021

" data-original-title="" title="">Ralph Peterson, the album includes several jazz standards along with some original compositions. While the selections vary in jazz styles ranging from straight-ahead and Latin to modern, the album definitely has a sense of unity throughout. Lyle is joined here by ten different musicians, essentially forming three different groups. The players include

Bob Sheppard

saxophone, tenor
b.1952

" data-original-title="" title="">Bob Sheppard on tenor saxophone;

Marvin "Smitty" Smith

drums
b.1961

" data-original-title="" title="">Marvin "Smitty" Smith,

Roy McCurdy

drums
b.1936

" data-original-title="" title="">Roy McCurdy and

Anthony Fung

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Anthony Fung on drums; pianists

Jon Mayer

piano
b.1938

" data-original-title="" title="">Jon Mayer,

Mahesh Balasooriya

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Mahesh Balasooriya,

Mikan Zlatkovich

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Mikan Zlatkovich, and

Adam Hersh

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Adam Hersh;

Nakeiltha Nikki Campbell

congas

" data-original-title="" title="">Nakeiltha Nikki Campbelll on congas; and

Jacques Lesure

guitar
b.1962

" data-original-title="" title="">Jacques Lesure on guitar.

The up-tempo opener, "Forasteria," which is a Lyle original, sets the tone of the album. It features a Brazilian groove combined with some Cedar Walton influences. The word forasteria means outsider in Portuguese, and the song represents the feelings of alienation that practically everyone experiences at one time or another. The song's driving beat and tight groove offers a sense of overcoming obstacles to experience the joy and optimism life has to offer.

L.A. Source Codes includes a good deal of impressive musicianship throughout. While each of the players on the album gets a chance to shine, the bottom line here (no pun intended) is Lyle's bass work. There are instances, such as Frank Loesser's "I Believe in You" and George Gershwin's "It Ain't Necessarily So" where Lyle plays the melody line. He also takes several impressive solos throughout the album, showcasing his talent as a player.

Along with his musical skills, this album also shows that Lyle is a talented composer as well. The originals included are not simply melodies, but each their own musical story. "rains_of_change," for example, transitions from its melodic beginning into a somewhat freeform structure that ultimately returns to the original melody, which seems to reflect going through and overcoming a challenging situation. "La Cumbia de MacArthur Park" celebrates L.A.'s Central American community with powerful rhythms and Adam Hersh's exceptional work on the piano. The atmospheric "Above the Clouds" creates a dreamlike landscape somewhat reminiscent of some ECM recordings.

L.A. Source Codes is an impressive debut album that brings a variety of music and musicians that have influenced Lyle's own playing and writing. Lyle's talent is impressive, and this album shows how effectively he can transform the "source code" into something very satisfying.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Forasteira; Above The Clouds; Be My Love; So in Love; Two for the Road; rains_of_change; La Cumbia de MacArthur Park; No. 1 Green Street; I Believe in You; It Ain't Necessarily So; You Stepped Out of A Dream

Personnel

Will Lyle

bass, acoustic

Bob Sheppard

saxophone, tenor

Marvin "Smitty" Smith

drums

Mahesh Balasooriya

piano

Jon Mayer

piano

Roy McCurdy

drums

Jacques Lesure

guitar

Anthony Fung

drums

Mikan Zlatkovich

piano

Nakeiltha Nikki Campbell

congas

Adam Hersh

piano

Album information

Title: L.A. Source Codes | Year Released: 2021 | Record Label: Self Produced

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Play The Music Of Bill Frisell Vol. ...
< Previous

Billy Cobham, Larry Coryell, John Sc...
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.