Akiko Tsuruga (JP) organ · Joseph Magnarelli (US) trumpet · Staffan William-Olsson (NO) guitar · Bernd Reiter (AT) drums
The Japanese soul jazz organist Akiko Tsuruga began her career in Osaka, where she played with musicians such as Roy Hargrove, Jeff “Tain” Watts, and Grady Tate, who also convinced her to move to NYC and collaborated on her debut album Harlem Dreams in 2004.
Stylistically, she is influenced by the hard bop and soul jazz organists of the 1960s, such as Jack McDuff, Jimmy McGriff, and Jimmy Smith. In New York, Dr. Lonnie Smith became her mentor, and over the past 20 years, she has performed in some of the most important jazz clubs, such as Dizzy’s and Blue Note, alongside musicians like Frank Wess, Jimmy Cobb, and Lou Donaldson. In 2020, she was named Rising Star in the organ category of the DownBeat Critics Poll.
Her quartet includes Joe Magnarelli, one of the world’s leading jazz trumpeters, as well as two outstanding European musicians, Staffan William-Olsson and Bernd Reiter, who have accompanied jazz legends such as Bob Berg, Lee Konitz, Harold Mabern, and Steve Grossman. This quartet presents Organ Grooves & Soul Jazz at its Best, with lots of energy and spirit!
