Paul Carlon | "Between Us Three"

Tenor Saxophonist and Composer Paul Carlon Releases

Between Us Three, His Seventh Album as a Leader

The Album Highlights the Intensely Intimate Conversation Between Three Virtuosic Musicians Speaking the Language of Jazz and Afro-Caribbean Music Traditions

Available July 17, 2026 via Truth Revolution Recording Collective

Triple threat saxophonist/composer/arranger Paul Carlon’s second trio release, Between Us Three, highlights the intensely intimate conversation between three virtuosic musicians speaking the language of Jazz and Afro-Caribbean music traditions. Featured on congas and percussion is Grammy-nominee Chembo Corniel, and on bass, the masterful Alex “Apolo” Ayala. Both bandleaders, Corniel and Ayala bring deep knowledge, feel, and passion to the music, as well as the desire to amplify their instruments’ respective roles.

Carlon’s absorption of the jazz tenor tradition is on full display through his horn’s deep and soulful tone, his rhythmic adventurousness, and his willingness to expand on the Sonny Rollins-inspired tenor trio. Highlights include the driving original cha cha “Papasito Rides Again”, the epic reimagining of Woody Shaw’s “Katrina Ballerina” over a Cuban abakua rhythm, and Carlon’s tribute to his late sister Meg, the danzón “Baile M.”

Carlon shares his thoughts on the album: “With this second trio album I was focused on the range of what we can do, both material-wise and dynamics-wise. We love to stretch, to really push each other, so I wanted to write songs that were both grounded and yet open enough to give us room to grow into them. These guys are my brothers, so I knew they’d reinvent anything I brought to them.”

Between Us Three features six originals by Carlon, one Latin classic made famous by Arsenio Rodriguez, a standard each by Wayne Shorter and Jimmy Heath, and the aforementioned “Katrina Ballerina.”

The album kicks things off with a blazing “soundcheck” version of “Anabacoa,” evoking the loose and fiery feel of the classic Alegre All Stars recordings, followed by three compositions written specifically for the trio, “That Trio Vibe,” the thunderous guaguancó “Espejos”, and “Papasito Rides Again.” Heath’s “Gingerbread Boy” and an achingly beautiful version of Shorter’s “Infant Eyes” are reimagined through an Afro-Caribbean prism, followed by the album’s title cut “Just Between Us Three,” “Baile M,” and a final blazingly improvisational cha cha, “Un Pedacito de Tí.”

Between Us Three is an innovative improvisational album steeped in Latin traditions and three-way conversations between master musicians at the top of their game.

Between Us Three is Carlon’s seventh album as a leader. Besides his trio’s debut album Tresillo (Deep Tone Records, 2017), Carlon’s other standouts include his octet’s first album Other Tongues (Deep Tone Records, 2005) and his Latin tribute to Billy Strayhorn, La Rumba is a Lovesome Thing (Zoho, 2013). Will Friedwald’s review of the Strayhorn album in The Wall Street Journal stated that “Mr. Carlon’s treatment is the best kind of fresh take on classic material, rendered with a perfect balance of adoration and irreverence that never misses the mark.”

Carlon’s artistic roots run deep; his mother is a visual artist, and his sister was as well. Starting out on the cello in the fourth grade, Carlon was more drawn to the saxophone and switched in the fifth grade. After earning a degree in English Literature from Cornell University, he moved to New York City and immersed himself in the metropolis’ thriving jazz scene, spending many late nights jamming at the legendary Smalls Jazz Club. In the late ‘90s, Carlon began working with two Afro-Cuban jazz groups, Grupo los Santos and Cuban trombonist Juan Pablo Torres’ quintet, as well as bassist Phil Bowler’s Pocket Jungle, composing and arranging for all three groups. In the early 00’s he worked with bassist Harvie S’ Quintet and became the musical director of the Ileana Santamaría Orchestra, and in 2011 he toured with legendary Afrobeat drummer Tony Allen. He currently performs and records with many other groups, including Bronx Conexion (a Latin jazz ensemble), Alex Ayala’s Afro Puerto Rican Big Band, Schapiro 17 Jazz Orchestra, his own Quintet, Goussy Célestin’s Ayiti Brass, and Nation Beat, for which he serves as the musical director.

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Endorsements for Between Us Three:

“Carlon, Ayala and Corniel creatively and organically explore trio interactions and communication as one cohesive unit, showcasing their individual superb musicality and virtuosity. Awesome work, total joy to listen to, highly recommended!” — Grammy nominated pianist Edsel Gomez

“They have a new album arriving in July—Between Us Three. And let me tell you: it will blow you away. You can hear the years in it, the miles, the trust, the risks taken and the risks rewarded. It’s the sound of a trio that knows exactly who they are and is still hungry for what’s next.” — José Massó, producer of Con Salsa on WBUR

“The music on this album represents the next chapter in the demanding and storied tradition of piano-less saxophone-led jazz trios but with the added complexity and nuance of Spanish-Caribbean musical languages and traditions. This is no easy task because besides there being no place to hide, one must be steeped in many traditions to sound convincing and say something. However, this also makes it an exciting proposition: what will the musicians create together in this setting? Having personally played with each of these men as a group and as individuals, I can unequivocally state that each one of them plays with their own sound and identity but still stays faithful to the lineage of both the jazz and Spanish Caribbean traditions. This bi and tri-cultural fluency is on full display when listening to Paul, Alex, and Chembo play together on this record. One can hear how each instrument occupies its own role, responsibilities, and sonic space with deep expertise, mastery, and artfulness. One also hears how as a trio they have achieved a complete, joyful, vocabulary, and enveloping sound that can only be made through years of friendship and even more years together on the bandstand as a true standalone unit. The results are spectacular and enthralling. Sit back and enjoy the stories that this album tells!” —Benjamin Lapidus, Ph.D. – Grammy-nominated musician, author, and educator

2026 TOUR DATES

Saturday June 6: RiverArts Music Tour/Yonkers NY