Paavo Carey, a New York City native, is the son of noted jazz pianist the late Cecil Young. Paavo started performing professionally at the age of 14, when he began playing the trombone in jazz, Latin, funk, Haitian Compa and Jamaican Reggae bands in and around New York City. A graduate of Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, Paavo went on to study saxophone, flute, clarinet and piano at The Mannes College of Music where he received his Bachelor of Music degree in 1984. He then began several years of performing and touring as a sideman on sax, flute and clarinet with acts such as The Big Apple Circus, Tito Puente’s Orchestra, Magnum Band, The Me We And Them Jazz Orchestra, Aretha Franklin, The Fifth Dimension, Johnny Ray and many more. As a result of this extensive experience he is a versatile doubling musician at home in many different styles of music including jazz, rock, Latin, classical, pop, pit orchestra, wedding band, world music and more. In 1990 Paavo earned his Masters Degree in Music Education from Lehman College in the Bronx and began a public school teaching career that continues in the state of Maine today.