Xpresso Love blends jazz, pop & more at Schorr

Vocalist Ayana Del Valle and pianist/vocalist Laurence Elder will blend their backgrounds in jazz, pop, Latin, gospel, funk, blues and their mutual passion to “express love” through music during a concert Sunday at the Schorr Family Firehouse Stage in Johnson City.

“Xpresso Love: Autumn In New York” will celebrate this vibrant and bittersweet time of year by highlighting traditional jazz on the first half of the program with a band and four-piece horn section, featuring Del Valle on vocals and guest artists Al Hamme and Mike Carbone.

The second half of the program will feature both Elder and Del Valle on vocals while showcasing their original compositions and jazz/pop reinventions.

Del Valle, born and raised in Greater Binghamton, draws inspiration from musical legends such as Mariah Carey, Ella Fitzgerald, Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston and Eryka Badu.An Ella Fitzgerald CD that her father gave her while in her teens inspired her to sing jazz, and her professional music career started at the Conservatory of Music at Purchase College.

Elder, a “triple threat” as a singer-songwriter-pianist, is a signed artist on ESC Records in Europe and in Japan on the P-Vine label, and he has recorded with Grammy Award winners Paquito D’Rivera and Peter Erskine, who both appear as guests on his debut album, “Surrounded.”

Elder’s background as a jazz pianist includes a master’s degree from the University of Miami’s music school, but on “Surrounded,” he blurs the lines between genres.

Recent performances include the new Arturo Sandoval Jazz Club, a Valentine’s Day show at the Deering Estate attended by over 2,000 fans, and a concert opening for Al Dimeola.

Tickets for Sunday’s 2 p.m. concert are $25 for adults and $20 for seniors; purchase online at www.goodwilltheatre.net or by calling the box office at (607) 772-2404, ext. 301. The Schorr Family Firehouse Stage is located at 48 Willow St. in Johnson City.