Akiko Tsurga, Jeff Hamilton & Graham Dechter - Equal Time

“Akiko’s playing is like watching a flower blooming, a bird spreading her wings in the music world.  Akiko is here to stay.” – Dr. Lonnie Smith

 “Jeff Hamilton is a most driving and technically accomplished drummer.” – David Badham, Jazz Journal International

“I love Graham Dechter’s warm guitar sounds… serious swinging, clean arrangements, a high level of intensity and a dose of beautiful lines.” – John Clayton

Equal Time unites three virtuosos – two rising stars, the organist Akiko Tsuruga and the guitarist Graham Dechter – and the acclaimed veteran drummer Jeff Hamilton to form a musical alliance based on a shared passion for swinging and the timeless joys of the classic organ trio. Although these cohorts have worked together before in other ensembles, Equal Time fully captures the camaraderie and musical telepathy that they have developed as a team. Building on the organ-drums-guitar configuration that has been the backbone of the organ trio tradition ever since Jimmy Smith hit the jazz scene in 1956, the Akiko-Hamilton-Dechter unit dedicates itself to the proposition that a compact band can – make that, must – produce a mighty sound.