The second in a series of broadcast concerts from Jazz Port Townsend will air on Jazz Northwest on 88.5 KNKX and knkx.org on Sunday, August 11, 2019 at 2pm.

Equal Time is an organ trio (Hammond B3, guitar and drums) in the classic style that emerged in the 60s. All three are leaders of their own groups and equal partners in the present trio. They all compose and arrange and take turns introducing the tunes, as in this performance recorded in McCurdy Pavilion at Fort Worden during Centrum’s Jazz Port Townsend in July.

Akiko Tsuruga was born in Osaka and has been playing organ since she was three (!), studied with Dr.Lonnie Smith and played in Lou Donaldson’s quartet before launching out on her own. She now has ten albums as a leader. Graham Dechter plays with authority and maturity that belies his age (28) and brings a strong blues-based swing to the group. Jeff Hamilton has played with Woody Herman, Bud Shank, Ray Brown, and many others as well as co-leading the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra and fronting his own trio. He is a regular at Jazz Port Townsend in groups ranging from trios to big bands and on the faculty at Jazz Workshop that precedes the festival.

Jazz Northwest airs every Sunday at 2 PM Pacific on 88.5 KNKX and streams at knkx.org. After broadcast, shows are archived and may be streamed on demand at jazznw.org. The program is recorded and produced by host Jim Wilke for KNKX.

Pictured above: Equal Time: Akiko Tsuruga, Jeff Hamilton, Graham Dechter at Jazz Port Townsend / Jim Levitt photo