Michael Carvin Experience

Among the most influential drummers in jazz and a veteran bandleader, Michael Carvin is an iconic artist whose resume includes work with Freddie Hubbard, Jackie McLean, Alice Coltrane, and dozens more. His Joe Henderson Lab debut focuses on his working trio, appropriately named the Michael Carvin Experience.  

A multiple championship-winning rudimental drummer, the Houston-born Carvin began his career at age 12 and quickly advanced as a professional, serving as a house drummer at Motown Records for two years before moving to New York and his first high-profile gig with trumpet genius Freddie Hubbard. He has appeared on more than 250 albums and led or co-led 15 sessions including Antiquity, the landmark 1975 duo session with saxophonist Jackie McLean, and 2025’s Live in San Francisco released on Carvin’s own MCE Music label.  

Coinciding with his work as a bandleader and collaborator, Carvin earned an unparalleled reputation as an educator with his School of Drumming, a practice that operates under the slogan “Each One Teach One” — a phrase that also gave his 1994 Muse Records album its title. Among the most influential living educators on his instrument, Carvin has amassed a staggering list of high-profile former students including J.T. Lewis, Ralph Peterson Jr., Billy Martin, Nasheet Waits, Allison Miller, Jaz Sawyer, Darrell Green, and Tyshawn Sorey.