Akiko Tsuruga with Grady Tate and Satoshi Inoue

Trio performance in New York Style by an up-coming organist.(by Youichi Yoshioka)

In May, the organist, Akiko Tsuruga who released her debut album, Harlem Dreams had a live performance with the album members. Now that she lives in New York, this is her visiting stage and here is a report of the highly successful performance.
Akiko Tsuruga was born in Osaka. She started playing organ at around the age of three and grew up listening to church music by her mother's influence. During her years at a music college in Osaka, she gravitated towards jazz music. After graduating from the school, she was active in the Osaka area, playing piano, however soon she started playing Hammond organ in her own band. In January 2001, she moved to the US and in June of the same year, she got herself regular gigs at a traditional organ club,Showman's.

During the first three years in New York, she was fortunate to have several opportunities to share stages with such established musicians as Grady Tate, Frank Wes, Paul West, George Benson and Russell Malone, which Akiko commented, "I found my American dream here."

Grady Tate who traveled throughout Japan with Akiko this time also performed with her at Blue Note in New York. Grady commented that "It is great to see Akiko growing up so rapidly as a musician who was just a beginner only about ten years ago when I met her for the first time in Osaka." Another sideman, Satoshi Inoue is an active performer in New York and has on going articles in the magazine, "Building the Standard Repertory." Akiko's honest and kind personality seems to bring out her inner musical spirit.

On August 2nd, one sweltering summer night at the Jazz Club Tokyo TUC, located in Kanda, there was a full house awaiting the performance. As the club dimmed the lights, Grady, Akiko and Satoshi walked onto the stage. The show started with Akiko's organ solo and the music emerged to the blues, Kiko, which Grady wrote for Akiko. This slow tempo blues seems to be appropriate for the opening of the show, which also brought out the Harlem like atmosphere. In the next song, These Are Soulful Days, Akiko showed her solo skills. The song, Green sleeves, which has been arranged in many different ways, was performed with their own original twist.

Then Grady sang My One And Only Love and Route 66. His well-developed techniques and skills in singing was evidence to the fact that his current musical endeavor focuses more upon signing than drumming.