Mike Pachelli - Fade To Blue (2016)

Fade To Blue is the sixteenth CD release for guitarist Mike Pachelli. Having covered many genres in the past, Fade To Blue is an amalgamation of Pachelli’s many musical styles, including blues, jazz and rock. The CD features Kevin McKendree (B3), Rich Russo (drums) and Baba Elefante (bass), each carrying an impressive resume on their own accord. Fade To Blue is a concept album and was recorded the old fashion way: with musicians actually in the same room playing together. Mike elaborates on this, “The album represents what the group does live. We usually start off bluesy with a hint of jazz, then we rock the crowd, give them a bit of funk and try to leave the audience wanting more.”

Critics have noted Mike’s guitar prowess for decades. During his years touring with brother Jack McDuff, Leonard Feather stated that Pachelli “has a loose, extrovert style with chops to spare and a mature blues feeling”. More recently, Ken Mansfield (the U.S. manager of the Beatles’ Apple Records) wrote, “I often joke that I don’t listen to the blues because it makes me sad. The artistry of Mike Pachelli goes beyond the confines of a genre and leaves the listener smiling from ear to ear.”

As a vocalist, Pachelli has been described as “a blues singer from Nashville who infuses his sound with gospel-soul and funk-jazz flavors.”

Though difficult to pigeonhole into a single genre, one thing stands true about Fade To Blue and that is it’s loaded with world-class guitar playing. Mike Pachelli has received “thumbs ups” from peers such as Eric Johnson, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Phil Keaggy and Billy Cox (to name a few). Mike is an integral part of the Nashville recording scene and has been featured on the Gibson website for years as an instructor. He also has his own signature V-pick, custom guitar and amp -- and continues to wow audiences around the world!

Mike Pachelli has toured extensively as leader and sideman for some of the most eclectic artists on the planet, yet he remains one of America’s best kept musical secrets. With the release of Fade To Blue, it’s going to be hard to keep that cat in the bag.