A community of music enthusiasts gathered to experience an innovative and audience-engaging African-Caribbean jazz group led by Edgar Pagan of Syracuse and featuring five-time Emmy winner Emedin Rivera at the Schorr Family Firehouse Stage on Monday.

Located on 48 Willow St. in Johnson City, this firehouse-turned-performance center hosts a range of shows, from comedy acts to a cappella experiences.

Attendees were welcomed with a dark ambiance and an array of small tables with dimly lit candles facing the instrument-flooded stage. Pagan allowed for a new style of music to be heard, not only among the crowd but his own band.

“I look for people with a special spirit,” Pagan said. “They’re very open to improvisation and they’re comfortable in the moment. Some people aren’t. I’ve worked with musicians that like everything very structured. But you know, one of the things about jazz and the blues is that it leaves room for a lot of interpretation and just having some fun with it.”

The group consisted of Pagan, of Syracuse, on bass and vocals, Jerry Moore of Syracuse on flute and saxophone, Adam Fisher of Syracuse on guitar, Dan Pugh of Syracuse on keyboards and Rivera on percussion.

Pugh’s fluid piano skills set the foundation for a classic jazz tune while Fisher’s electric guitar solo wowed the audience as he added an edgy new sound. In true jazz fashion, improvisation, along with engagement from the audience, created a unique blend of the blues and Latin beats.

Percussionist Rivera, 73, of Landing, New Jersey, began the performance, slithering through the audience while banging a metal wheel that created a bell-like sound to symbolize a train conductor. The intro created a unique start to the setlist, filling the venue with laughter and instantly setting the tone for what the audience would be expecting from the group.

The performance was anything but typical, but the audience was able to see the music come to life one instrument at a time. Each musician brought their own personality to the stage. Rivera showcased his abilities when playing with a drumstick in one hand and his bare left hand to blend jazz and Caribbean percussion beats simultaneously.

Pagan told the audience one of the final songs, “La Musica,” was meant to symbolize how music is all around us in our day-to-day lives. From the simple sound of a handshake to a hug, every noise can become musical. Small hand percussion egg shakers were handed out to the audience to invite the crowd to groove along with the band, showcasing the true meaning of the song.

“I’m from Puerto Rico, you know, so the Latin rhythms, maybe they’re in the DNA or something, because my mom, when she was cooking, she’d be in the kitchen,” Pagan said. “I could hear her doing the rhythms with all the forks and knives and spoons on the table, and I kind of feel the music.”

The setlist came to an end as Michael Carbone, a former director of Binghamton University’s Harpur Jazz Ensemble, was brought out to accompany the band’s final song with his soulful saxophone solo.

“You could tell, the moments when we were like, ‘OK, where’s this going to go,’ but that keeps it exciting and on the edge and fun,” Pagan said. “This time around instead of doing a super polished show, because we weren’t really ready for that, let’s let the audience know and be honest with them. And it seemed like the reaction was nice.”