Jazz Articles about Carl Allen

About Carl Allen

Album Review

Clovis Nicolas: Blues in Blueprint: 12 Variations on the Blues

Read "Blues in Blueprint: 12 Variations on the Blues" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi

by Angelo Leonardi
August 13, 2026

Il contrabbassista Clovis Nicolas presenta dodici differenti interpretazioni del blues, interpretando in trio brani personali e temi appartenenti ad epoche e autori diversi: dai tradizionali “Abide with Me" e “Old Stack O'Lee Blues" a Duke Ellington, Wes Montgomery, Ornette Coleman, Carla Bley e altri. Con lui sono Carl Allen alla batteria e Larry Goldings al pianoforte, una scelta strumentale abbastanza insolita per quest'ultimo, da tre decenni ai vertici dell'organo Hammond. Goldings ha sporadicamente dato prova delle ...

Album Review

Frank Swart: This Is The One! (Raison D'êTre)

Read "This Is The One! (Raison D'êTre)" reviewed by Kyle Simpler

by Kyle Simpler
July 27, 2026

There is a common misconception that musical artists who release albums usually tour to promote them. While this may be true for the most part, there are exceptions. San Francisco-based bassist and composer Frank Swart is quick to point out that artists such as The Beatles were more focused on spending time in the studio creating albums than taking the show on the road. Swart's project Funkwrench Blues uses the studio to full effect, and this is evident on This Is The ...

Album Review

Clovis Nicolas: Blues in Blueprint: 12 Variations on the Blues

Read "Blues in Blueprint: 12 Variations on the Blues" reviewed by Kyle Simpler

by Kyle Simpler
April 13, 2026

The blues has long functioned as something equivalent to comfort food in jazz, a familiar form that musicians return to again and again. On Blues in Blueprint: 12 Variations on the Blues, bassist Clovis Nicolas embraces that tradition while subtly reframing it. Rather than treating the blues as a fixed structure, Nicolas approaches it as a living foundation, exploring the many ways it continues to shape jazz across styles and eras. Born in the Ivory Coast and raised in ...

Album Review

Mark Sherman: Bop Contest

Read "Bop Contest" reviewed by Pierre Giroux

by Pierre Giroux
December 9, 2025

Vibraphonist and composer Mark Sherman has long been recognized as one of the music's most articulate advocates for straight-ahead values, grounding his virtuosity in the clarity and craftsmanship that define the bop lineage. Bop Contest, his 2025 release, continues that tradition with poise and conviction. Surrounded by a top-tier rhythm section comprising pianist Donald Vega, the legendary bassist Ron Carter, the exuberant drummer Carl Allen, and guest trumpeter Joe Magnarelli, Sherman delivers a program that balances reverence for ...

Album Review

Mark Sherman: Bop Contest

Read "Bop Contest" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
October 23, 2025

Following four well-received albums on which he played piano, the versatile Mark Sherman has placed the keyboard in the capable hands of Donald Vega and returned to his main instrument, the vibraphone, for the eloquent and delightful Bop Contest, Sherman's twenty-second recording in a prestigious career that has spanned nearly half a century. Although Sherman has shared the studio with a who's who of renowned bassists, he had never released an album, until now, with the Hall ...

Album Review

Carl Allen: Tippin'

Read "Tippin'" reviewed by Pierre Giroux

by Pierre Giroux
February 19, 2025

Drummer Carl Allen's release Tippin' is an opportune occasion, as it is Allen's first album as a leader in over twenty years. For this storytelling experience, Allen brought together two luminaries of modern jazz: the internationally renowned bassist Christian McBride and the phenomenal horn player Chris Potter. The trio created a cohesive and compelling narrative, resulting in an album that stands out in its ability to balance spontaneity and structure. It is a free-flowing experience that feels both natural and ...

Radio & Podcasts

Billy Higgins, Hank Jones, Benny Green & Carl Allen

by Joe Dimino
February 9, 2025

We launch the 892nd episode of Neon Jazz with a true jazz veteran--Carl Allen--who's back with his first album in decades. Tippin' (2025) marks his triumphant return, all while he continues shaping the next generation of jazz as the Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. This hour is packed with stories from his remarkable career and the jazz legends who shaped him--giants like Sonny Rollins, Benny Green, Billy Higgins, Art Blakey, and Charlie Parker. Along the ...