Carl Allen - Tippin' (2025)

Tippin’ is the realization of a dream I've nurtured for quite some time. It’s been over 20 years since I last recorded as a leader, not counting the two records I made with my dear friend and bassist, Rodney Whitaker, Get Ready and Work To Do.

Tippin’ is a record that I would want to hear as a listener. Honoring listeners made personnel selection critical. As a drummer, the most important relationship is between the bass and drums. The dream team for this record is my friend and brother, Christian McBride, and the phenomenal Chris Potter.

McBride has appeared on more recordings that I had done than any other bassists and I currently play in one of his many bands, Inside Straight. Our extensive collaboration led me to think about creating something a bit different for both of us. This led to the idea of a chordless recording.

Not long ago, Christian and I were both part of an amazing recording by the genius pianist and composer Renee Rosnes. The saxophonist on that record was Chris Potter. Listening to Chris reminded me so much of the Sonny Rollins chordless trio date, Live at the Village Vanguard. That intuition solidified my decision to record with saxophone, bass, and drums.

When I record as a leader, I always think about the story I wish to tell. I put myself in the listener's shoes and craft the music to feel like it’s telling a coherent story with a narrative arc. That process extends to the selection and sequence of tunes. For this record, I had to carefully choose tunes that would work well in a chordless setting.

I wanted the recording process to feel organic, natural, and free-flowing. That led to the scrapping of some planned tunes that didn’t feel right and others chosen spontaneously in the studio.
Some tunes planned prior to the studio session didn’t feel right, so we omitted them, while others were decided on the spot. We did not rehearse before entering the studio, and we recorded the entire album in about five hours. I trusted the gifts that McBride and Potter brought to the table, allowing their interpretations to shape the music.

Carl Allen - drums
Christian McBride - bass
Chris Potter - tenor & soprano saxophone, bass clarinet
John Lee - piano (track 8)