Billy Carrión grew up in a family of singers. With his father being a salsa singer, Carrión was constantly surrounded by music; not just Latin, but a little bit of everything. This allowed him to become well-rounded, to fall in love with Jazz through passion.

Jazz holds a universal conversation on the stage and is a place where Carrión feels the most understood. “It’s not so much a leadership thing, it’s just a togetherness. It becomes something; it’s a beautiful thing. And that goes back to my Puerto Rican roots with bomba and plena, where it’s a conversation,” he shared.

Carrión first began his professional career in high school, jumping from gig to gig and group to group, filling in for musicians and establishing himself in the process. As time went on, his own groups formed and then disappeared, until he decided to try again. “I had a friend of mine start hitting me up, saying, ‘Why don’t you have your own group?’” he explained. 

“Come September [2023], that friend passed away,” he continued. “I got a phone call, and it was, like, boom. It was a very impactful situation, and then I was, like, ‘Okay, I definitely need to do this,’” he explained. Unfortunately, there was more for him to face. “All of a sudden, December happens, and I get Bell’s palsy.”

Bell’s palsy is a sudden, temporary paralysis of one side of the face. For a saxophone player like Carrión, this was no easy feat. “I need my face to play the saxophone and every other instrument I’m really good at,” he said. The alto saxophone was the first instrument Carrión picked up at a young age. Even with every possible treatment and therapy provided, his facial muscles will never be the same. “The saxophone is my natural instrument; it’ll always be that. I can somewhat get a saxophone sound for like a second, but it really, really hurts. Unless I sew my lips shut, that’s never gonna happen,” he said. 

Then it’s January 2024. Through the therapy for his diagnosis, Carrión is still thinking about ways to make this group happen. Luckily for this multi-instrumental musician, he can play bass. Carrión tests the waters with a jam session; for the next year and seven months, the group rehearses, writes, and meshes in a way that gets a great reception. 

Confidently, Carrión introduces Higher Standards, joined by Campbell Charshee on the piano, Jarrett Walser on drums, and Joshua Mercado on the Flugelhorn.

“The name is a play on several different things. ‘Standards’ are what jazz musicians call songs from the American Songbook. It’s a tool. These are tunes that if you are learning jazz, you learn these melodies and chord changes to become a better improviser and jazz player,” he said. “I figured I also put myself to higher standards because I haven’t had as much education as these guys. I have to push myself to be at that level, especially now as a bass player, and then go show off a personal vibe as well.”

“As a saxophone player, you play the melodies, you improvise, but as a bass player, you’re integrating from the very beginning. You can take the rest of the group to different places,” he said. Carrión approaches this new year with real ambition and excitement. The group plans to start recording their album Second Chances this summer.

As for performances, Higher Standards will play at the Brightside Tavern in Jersey City on Feb. 1, 2026. 

Photos courtesy of Billy Carrión / Interviewed on January 13, 2026