“Fond Memories from the 2023 Rochester International Jazz Festival”
By: Nate Jones (Host of “Jazz Wavelengths”)
It was the last week of June 2023, and thick Canadian wildfire smoke had settled over Rochester, painting the city and all of the state of New York in hazy yellow and apocalyptic orange. The Rochester International Jazz Festival was midway through, and the air was buzzing like a neon sun. I was tooling around after emceeing for the ever-candid, Ken Peplowski & Diego Figueiredo at Hatch Recital Hall, my first experience of their collaborative- bossa nova, samba, latin-influenced sound, live and in person. Excitement, like wildfire smoke, was inescapable at the time. I was destined and determined to stay the whole night, for the Squeezers Jam Sessions at the Hyatt Regency Downtown, which did not start until 1030pm, and so I did.
The atmosphere at the Jam Session was and (still is) unlike any other concert or festival I’ve ever attended. Artists who had just finished their sets, along with jazz enthusiasts, local musicians and more, engulfed the ground and first floors of the hotel. Arms dangled over brass balcony rails, and round tables in front of the stage on the ground floor became surrounded. The crowd roared as local artists, Eastman School of Music students, and professional musicians from the festival all played together under the helm of revered jazz guitarist and educator, Bob Sneider, and his band.
Now this is where the story gets good…
As the band swung the room into ellipses, I bumped into my friend and Jazz90.1 morning host Derrick Lucas, sitting at a table by the balcony with a few others. He thrillingly introduced me to them, none other than organist Akiko Tsuruga and her husband, trumpeter Joe Magnarelli! What a jazz power-couple… I was taken aback. I complimented Mr. Magnarelli on his take of “Central Park West” (check it out if you haven’t yet). He seemed astounded and grateful by this detailed praise, and Derrick was doing his own flattering in the background saying, “See, this is why we have some of the best DJ’s in the country!”
Derrick asked me to hangout with them so I gladly took a seat next to Akiko and began to chat with her. I started by asking her what the jazz scene was like in her homeland of Japan, which led to her explaining that she had decided to move to NYC to further her career, and it was there that she met the love of her life, Joe Magnarelli. The Big Apple was her home and she adored the city. She was so personable, speaking with warmth and pausing with big smiles in between her words. She had played a set at our festival the day prior but decided to stay an extra night to support her husband, as they weren’t currently touring in the same band together.
I could hear the significance and veneration in her voice after I asked her who her inspirations were, with Dr. Lonnie Smith being the greatest. We spoke about her instrument as well, the mighty Hammond B-3 organ! I gained a true sense of the respect and appreciation she had for her instrument. She explained the logistics to me; how she literally had to pay movers to truck her precious Hammond and Leslie speakers from NYC to every gig she played at.
A side note, last summer I responded to a Craigslist ad giving away a free Hammond organ, fully functional, just had to be moved out of a house in Webster. I jumped all over the opportunity, so now in my possession, in my living room, is an early 80’s Japanese-made Hammond Composer! For anybody who has never played an organ, it’s a fascinating, challenging, and rewarding instrument. Your feet are hitting bass pedals and rocking the expression pedal while your hands have two sets of keys to play, as well as drawbars and all sorts of adjustable settings to tinker with. After trying to play it, I can tell you, I’ve gained an even greater appreciation of the talent and brilliance of Ms. Tsuruga!
As the night neared to a close, Joe leaned over and told her he wanted to get up on stage and do a number to close out the jams, much to our delight! I walked Akiko down to one of the round tables in front of the stage, and we sat together again, watching her husband blow his top for a tune, for a small, lingering crowd. I asked her for a selfie and that picture perfectly depicts the affable person she was.
She made my 2023 RIJF festival experience so special and unforgettable. Speaking on behalf of not only me, but the entire jazz community, she will be incredibly missed for her energy, stage presence, and talent as an artist, but more importantly, her kind-hearted spirit as a person.
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