Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Akiko Tsuruga: So Cute, So Bad

Akiko Tsuruga: So Cute, So Bad

By Dan Bilawsky
July 5, 2017
View read count

On more than one occasion I've sat back while listening to jazz organ giants of yore and thought to myself, "they don't make 'em like this anymore." And while it's true that one-of-a-kind greats like

Jimmy Smith

organ, Hammond B3
1925 - 2005

" data-original-title="" title="">Jimmy Smith,

Shirley Scott

organ, Hammond B3
1934 - 2002

" data-original-title="" title="">Shirley Scott,

Big John Patton

organ, Hammond B3
1935 - 2002

" data-original-title="" title="">Big John Patton, Brother

Jack McDuff

organ, Hammond B3
1926 - 2001

" data-original-title="" title="">Jack McDuff,

Charles Earland

organ, Hammond B3
1941 - 1999

" data-original-title="" title="">Charles Earland, and

" data-original-title="" title="">Jimmy McGriff are gone for good, and nobody can duplicate exactly what they gave us, it's somewhat small-minded to ignore the fact that other talents are right in front of us, carrying the torch and keeping the organ in the soulful and swinging environments where it sounds best. Akiko Tsuruga is one of those figures.

Tsuruga is probably best known for her decade-long tenure in saxophonist

Lou Donaldson

saxophone
1926 - 2024

" data-original-title="" title="">Lou Donaldson's organ group, but her work as a leader shouldn't be discounted. She's no newcomer that department, having released a total of ten albums either stateside or in her native Japan, and this trio date makes perfectly clear why figures like Donaldson, drumming great Jimmy Cobb, and organ guru

Dr. Lonnie Smith

organ, Hammond B3
1942 - 2021

" data-original-title="" title="">Dr. Lonnie Smith are in her corner. She's got the goods, and it shows.

So Cute, So Bad was recorded live in front of an appreciative audience at San Pedro's Alvas Showroom. Tsuruga is joined by two of the left coast's jazz elite—drummer

Jeff Hamilton

drums
b.1953

" data-original-title="" title="">Jeff Hamilton and guitarist

Graham Dechter

guitar

" data-original-title="" title="">Graham Dechter—and everything falls right into place. Right from the get-go, this trio sizzles. The title track—a comfortably paced, semi-shuffling blues—brings the grease and the good times. Hamilton's groove is as perfect as ever, Dechter delivers a strong solo showing and a fine melodic reading, and Tsuruga shows us what she's made of. In less than seven minutes she wraps her own personality around our expectations, bringing out signature ideals of her instrument—the gliss, the stab, the long tone, and the briefly cycling motif—that we've come to love when we hear an organist thrown down. And there's more where that came from.

Tsuruga and company continue to cook, cool off, and captivate across the remaining tracks. "The Lady Is A Tramp" is sunny and swinging,

Baby Face Willette

organ, Hammond B3
b.1933

" data-original-title="" title="">Baby Face Willette's "Face To Face" adds some caffeinated boogaloo surf soul to the mix,

Slide Hampton

trombone
1932 - 2021

" data-original-title="" title="">Slide Hampton's "Frame For The Blues" allows for exploration in mellower environs, "Tanabata" takes everybody on a trip to Japan by way of Brazil, and "Pretty Please" gently and slowly waltzes the band to the end of the line. Within each track there are myriad aspects for the ear to enjoy and latch onto, but you don't need to overthink this one. Tsuruga and company toss things right down the middle and hit the mark every time.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

So Cute, So Bad; The Lady Is A Tramp; Face To Face; Frame For The Blues; You Don't Know What Love Is; Peachie; Tanabata; Pretty Please.

Personnel

Akiko Tsuruga

organ, Hammond B3

Akiko Tsuruga: Hammond B-3 organ; Jeff Hamilton: drums; Graham Dechter: guitar.

Album information

Title: So Cute, So Bad | Year Released: 2017 | Record Label: Self Produced

PREVIOUS / NEXT

More Powerful
< Previous

Tony Bennett at Birmingham Symphony ...
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.