Performers for the Eddies Music Hall of Fame feature a range of talent

Artists representing class members include rap, folk and jazz artists

SARATOGA SPRINGS–The performance lineup for the 2024 Capital Region Thomas Edison Music Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on March 25, sponsored by MLB Construction Services LLC, at Universal Preservation Hall featured a variety of genres.

The ceremony celebrates the careers of eight individuals with Capital Region ties: the late Jackie Alper, the late Nick Brignola, George Guarino, David Alan Miller, the late Pauline Oliveros, Margie Rosenkranz, Billy Waring and Don Wilcock.

Performing at the event are folk artists Wanda Fischer and Kate Blain, who will perform works to honor Alper and Rosenkranz, respectively; jazz artists David Calarco, Mike Holober and Rich Syracuse will come together to honor Brignola; and Camtron5000 will perform a song penned by Waring for Kurtis Blow, the first rapper signed to a major record label.

The ceremony is open to the public and in addition to musical performances, there will be a social hour, videos on the musical career of each inductee and acceptance speeches. A plaque honoring each individual will also be unveiled. With this sixth class, the Hall of Fame recognizes the music careers of 40 inductees with local connections.

Kate Blain

Blain has been part of the Upstate New York music scene for over two decades. Having leapt headfirst into her music career with a debut gig at the famed Caffé Lena in Saratoga Springs, she quickly became a regular on the area coffeehouse circuit, releasing the solo album “The Good Life” and then the trio project “Detour” with singer-songwriters Phil Henry and Gary Moon. Blain has brought her brand of acoustic folk to hundreds of venues in New York and New England and appeared on area radio and TV stations. She’s the long-time host of open mics at Caffé Lena, the Old Songs Festival and Eighth Step at Proctors.

Camtron5000

Camtron5000, a rapper from Albany who is nominated for a 2024 Eddies Music Award, has been creating alternative hip-hop music since 2016. He creates music he hopes will break stereotypes of what it means to be a rapper. Channeling a dynamic yet playful energy with skilled lyricism, and sporting a logo crafted from his own gapped smile, Camtron5000 is a musical personality unlike any other! 

David Calarco

Modern Drummer described David Calarco as “one of the hottest acoustic jazz drummers around today! His style of driving bop and post-bop is only matched by his abilities as a teacher and clinician. David has played with some of the most renowned jazz artists and his body of work continues to grow and impress audiences worldwide.” He is best known for his extensive work over the years with saxophonist Brignola. An alumnus of the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Calarco has appeared throughout North America and Europe performing with such jazz artists as Tom Harrell, Dave Holland, Randy Brecker, Kenny Barron, Clark Terry, Phil Woods, Danilo Perez, Kenny Werner, Dave Liebman, Chris Potter, Gerry Bergonzi, Joe Lovano, George Garzone and many others. Reviews of his playing have appeared in Downbeat, Coda, Cadence, Jazz Times and Stereo Review. He has appeared in Modern Drummer magazine both as a featured artist and as a contributing clinician. A highly respected clinician, Calarco has presented clinics at leading music schools including the University of North Texas, the Eastman School of Music, the University of Miami and Berklee. He is currently an artist and clinician for Mapex Drums, Sabian Cymbals, Aquarian Drum Heads and Vic Firth Sticks.

Wanda Fischer

Fischer has spent over 40 years broadcasting folk, bluegrass and blues music to radio listeners. After a stint volunteering with WCUW in Worcester, Mass., she became host of WAMC-FM/Northeast Public Radio’s weekly “The Hudson River Sampler” show in 1982; her show has continued every Saturday night since. She was inducted into the Folk Alliance International’s Folk DJ Hall of Fame in 2019 and was an Eddies Music Awards Hall of Fame inductee in 2023.

Mike Holober

Described by Downbeat Magazine as “one of the finest modern composer/arrangers of our time,” Holober was awarded the 2022 American Academy of Arts and Letters Andrew Imbrie Award in Music. His big band recording, “Mike Holober & The Gotham Jazz Orchestra: Hiding Out,” features two extended works for jazz orchestra and was nominated for a 2020 GRAMMY® Award (Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album). Trained as a classical pianist and conductor, Holober began his apprenticeship as a jazz pianist and composer after moving to New York City in 1986. He has released six recordings as a leader and can be heard on over 70 recordings as a sideman. His projects include the Mike Holober Quintet, Balancing Act (a jazz octet with voice), the Gotham Jazz Orchestra and most recently the Marvin Stamm/Mike Holober Quartet. He has served at the helm of some of the worlds most renowned large ensembles as director, conductor, composer and arranger. He was artistic director/conductor of the Westchester Jazz Orchestra (WJO), he served as guest conductor/arranger of the WDR Big Band (WestDeutsche Rundfunk – German National Radio Big Band) and was associate guest conductor of the hr-Big Band (Hessischer Rundfunk). Holober is a full professor at City College of New York and teaches composing and arranging at the Manhattan School of Music. He was associate director of the BMI Jazz Composer’s Workshop from 2007-2015.

Rich Syracuse

An in-demand bassist throughout the Northeast, Syracuse has toured throughout Europe, South America and southern Africa. At an early age in New York City he was the winner of the prestigious Congress of Strings Award. He has performed with The Group for Contemporary Music, Hartford Ballet and New Jersey Lyric Opera Company. After moving to the Hudson Valley in the mid-1980s, he began a long-standing position in the Nick Brignola Quartet, playing clubs, festivals and recording sessions. Syracuse was also bassist for pianist Lee Shaw for over 22 years. He is a professor for String and Electric Bass Studies at Skidmore College, the Hotchkiss School, Bard College and SUNY-New Paltz College. He has performed with Mose Allison, Kurt Elling, Brubeck Brothers, Michael and Randy Brecker, Dave Liebman, Warren Bernhardt, Vinnie Martucci, Sumi Tonoka, David Torn, Mike DeMicco, Mark Djuzba, Peter Levin, Sam Morrison, John Esposito, Steve Raleigh, Jimmy Cobb, Bernard Purdy, Adam Nussbaum, Jeff “Siege” Siegel, Eddie Henderson, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Dena DeRose, John Medeski, Michael Musilliami and Ali Demogli.