Based in Boston, MA, Tim Carman is an international touring musician, session drummer, educator, and published author with both Alfred Music and Hudson Music. “One of Boston’s most accomplished percussionists can be found in local Tim Carman,” Andrew Maroney of Vanyaland writes, “If his name sounds familiar, then you’ve probably seen him on the back-line of a number of tremendous Boston groups the past few years. From GA-20 to Julie Rhodes, Carman leaves his indelible imprint on some of Boston’s most illustrious jazz/blues acts.”
Tim’s session work earned him a nomination for “Session Musician of the Year” by the Boston Music Awards in 2020 and he currently records and tours extensively with GA-20, a two-time Billboard #1 blues trio signed to Karma Chief/Colemine records. He also leads two of his own projects: Tim Carman & The Street 45s—a world-groove inspired funk band—and the Tim Carman Trio—a vintage organ jazz trio (à la Jimmy Smith).
Along with performing, Tim is a dedicated educator with over fifteen years of teaching experience. Tim has released three drum publications and is currently finishing his fourth—a study of Roy Haynes titled “HAYNES-ISM” (Hudson Music, 2022). In 2017 Tim released his first drum set method book titled “Shape Beats for Kids.” Published by Alfred Music, the book utilizes shapes to teach young students basic beats that they can use to play along with popular songs.
In 2020 Tim released his second book, “Shape Beats: Drum Notation Simplified,” which can be used by beginning students of all ages. In 2021 Tim released a method for intermediate to advanced drummers titled “Groove Systems: Functional Four-Way Coordination Exercises.” Available through Hudson Music, the book utilizes patterns directly transcribed from 10 unique styles of music as a vehicle for both coordination development and an increase in stylistic vocabulary.
Photo by Ian Dickerman