Akiko Tsuruga

was a Japanese jazz organist, pianist, and composer from Osaka.

Biography Tsuruga was born in Osaka on 1 September 1967, the oldest of the three children of Hiroko Tsuruga ( Kiyonaga) and Koji Tsuruga. Her parents bought her a small organ when she was three, and she started learning to play standards. In high school, she listened to Hammond B3 players, including Jimmy Smith, Charles Earland, Jack McDuff, Jimmy McGriff, and Dr. Lonnie Smith. she moved to New York City in 2001, after which she began taking lessons from Dr. Lonnie Smith. According to her husband, trumpeter Joe Magnarelli, Tsuruga died after a short period of terminal illness. She is survived by her mother, two brothers, and husband.

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