“An author and educator besides a musician, Boston-based Tim Carman might well qualify as a renaissance man... It is one thing to have command of technique, but quite another to be able to adjust those technical skills for a variety of settings and still retain a distinctive personal touch. ”
Tim Carman is an international touring musician, session drummer, educator, and five-time published author with both Alfred Music and Hudson Music. Born and raised in Boston, MA, Tim cut his teeth between Boston and Los Angeles from 2012 to 2024. “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. From 2018 to 2024, Tim worked with GA-20, touring internationally and recording three full-length records and two EPs released by Colemine/Karma Chief Records. Three of those releases hit #1 on Billboard Blues charts.
Tim moved to Denver in 2024. He currently records and tours extensively with Parlor Greens (Colemine Records)—a soul-jazz trio consisting of Tim on drums, Jimmy James on guitar, and Adam Scone on organ— and Canyon Lights, a garage rock group formed with singer/guitarist Pat Faherty of GA-20. Tim 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) nominated for “Jazz Act of the Year” in 2022, 2023, and 2024 by the Boston Music Awards.
Instruction/Publications
Along with performing, Tim is a dedicated educator who has released five books: Philly-ISM (2023 via Hudson Music), Haynes-ISM (2022 via Hudson Music), Groove Systems (2021 via Hudson Music), Shape Beats: Drum Notation Simplified (2020), and Shape Beats for Kids (2017 via Alfred Music).
Past Projects
From 2015 to 2017 Tim worked as a session musician in Los Angeles, performing with a variety of artists including Sheldon and Cunnane (jam band duo), Violet Wine (indie rock), Valley Shine (folk pop), The Elizabeth Kill (alternative rock), The Pot Luck (jazz quartet), Roberto Hermosillo (Latin pop), Mother Jones (funk/rock), and guitarist Christy Calabro (Brett Michaels, Poison).