Flat Out (John Scofield album)

Flat Out
Studio album by John Scofield
Released	July 14, 1989 (US) (CD, LP)
Recorded	A&R Recording, New York, New York in December 1988
Genre	Jazz, Post-bop, New Orleans R&B
Length	50:59 (CD)
Label	Gramavision Records
Producer	Steve Swallow
John Scofield chronology
Pick Hits Live (1987) Flat Out (1989) Time on My Hands (1990)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]

Flat Out is a studio album by jazz guitarist John Scofield. It was recorded in December 1989 and his sixth and last release on Gramavision.

The album marks a shift from his latter funk oriented fusion recordings to hard swinging tracks with "almost bobbish"^[2] solos and a new focus on New Orleans rhythm and blues covering two songs by The Meters and Huey "Piano" Smith and an original with a second line groove ("In the Cracks").

The quartet featured Don Grolnick exclusively on Hammond B-3 organ, double bassist Anthony Cox and either Johnny Vidacovich or Terri Lyne Carrington on drums. Don Grolnick already played keyboards on his 1986 album Still Warm (and would later produce his 1991 album Meant to Be). With Anthony Cox Scofield was part of a recording by Gary Thomas' a few months earlier (By Any Means Necessary). And with Terri Lyne Carrington he first played together on a recording session led by Niels Lan Doky in September 1988 (Daybreak).^[3] Johnny Vidacovich "is the quintessential New Orleans jazz drummer."^[4] Scofield recorded with him once before in 1988 for Ray Anderson's album Blues Bred in the Bone. Scofield and Ray Anderson also recorded with saxophonist Bennie Wallace on his New Orleans R&B influenced albums Twilight Time (1985) and Bordertown (1987) both featuring Dr. John. Scofield would later come back to New Orleans based grooves on his 1995 album Groove Elation and most explicitly in 2009 with Piety Street.

Track listing

1. "Cissy Strut" (George Porter, Jr., Ziggy Modeliste, Art Neville, Leo Nocentelli) – 2:56
2. "Secret Love" (Sammy Fain, Paul Francis Webster) – 5:55
3. "All the Things You Are" (Oscar Hammerstein, Jerome Kern) – 7:37
4. "In the Cracks" (Scofield) – 4:48
5. "Softy" (Scofield) – 4:34
6. "Science and Religion" (Scofield) – 4:42
7. "The Boss's Car" (Scofield) – 6:59
8. "Evansville" (Scofield) – 5:52
9. "Flat Out" (Scofield) – 3:40
10. "Rockin' Pneumonia" (Huey "Piano" Smith) – 3:57

The LP release omits "Flat Out" and shows another track order

Side A

1. "Cissy Strut"
2. "Secret Love"
3. "All the Things You Are"
4. "In the Cracks"

Side B

1. "The Boss's Car"
2. "Science and Religion"
3. "Softy"
4. "Evansville"
5. "Rockin' Pneumonia"

Personnel

• John Scofield - electric guitar
• Don Grolnick - Hammond B-3 organ
• Anthony Cox - double bass
• Johnny Vidacovich - drums (exc. tracks 3, 7, 8)
• Terri Lyne Carrington - drums (tracks 3, 7, 8)

References

1. Yanow, Scott. Flat Out (John Scofield album) at AllMusic
2. Yanow, Scott. Flat Out (John Scofield album) at AllMusic
3. Daybreak on AllMusic.com
4. Johnny Vidacovich biography by Rose of Sharon Witmer on AllMusic.com