Shangri-La (Sonny Stitt album)

Shangri-La
Studio album by
Sonny Stitt with Don Patterson
Released1964
RecordedMarch 19, 1964
StudioVan Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
GenreJazz
LabelPrestige
PR-7332
ProducerOzzie Cadena
Sonny Stitt chronology
My Main Man
(1964) 		Shangri-La
(1964) 		Soul People
(1964)
Don Patterson chronology
Goin' Down Home
(1964) 		Shangri-La
(1964) 		The Exciting New Organ of Don Patterson
(1964)

Shangr-La is an album by the saxophonist Sonny Stitt featuring the organist Don Patterson recorded in 1964 and released on the Prestige label.[1]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide[3]

The editors of AllMusic awarded the album three stars, and writer Richie Unterberger stated: "Shangri-La doesn't particularly stand out from other, similar albums he made at the time with organ, but it's a respectable set with both uptempo swingers and ballads."[2]

A reviewer for Billboard noted that Patterson and James provide "first-rate support" to Stitt, and commented: "The tempos run the gamut from soulful to vibrant. It's all great jazz."[4]

A writer for Negro Digest remarked: "Stitt has remained one of the most baffling... figures on the jazz scene. Nowhere is this more apparent than in... Shangri-La... The spark is still there, but the flame is missing. Where excitement is called for, there is often tedium."[5]

Track listing

All compositions by Sonny Stitt except as noted.

  1. "My New Baby" - 7:21
  2. "Misty" (Erroll Garner, Johnny Burke) - 4:34
  3. "Soul Food" - 7:51
  4. "Shangri-La" (Matty Malneck, Robert Maxwell, Carl Sigman) - 4:44
  5. "Mama Don't Allow" (Cow Cow Davenport) - 5:54
  6. "The Eternal One" - 5:49

Personnel

References

  1. ^ Prestige Records Discography. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
  2. ^ a b Unterberger, R. Allmusic review. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
  3. ^ Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 185. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
  4. ^ "Album Reviews / Jazz Spotlight". Billboard. December 26, 1964. p. 22 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ "On Record". Negro Digest. July 1965. p. 14 – via Google Books.