A Fascinating Story About Tsubo
The April 2000 issue of SJ Magazine featured many intriguing articles. One article, titled “Riverside, the Intellectual Label,” included a photo from the iconic album “Full House.” In this shot, you can see the character “壺” (tsubo) on the stage wall. Yes, the legendary Café House “Tsubo,” where Wes Montgomery and Johnny Griffin had an epic battle backed by the Kelly Trio, derived its name from the Japanese word for “pot.”
I had heard this before, but I had completely forgotten until I read the article. Speaking of which, the bottom part of the “壺” character can also be seen in the photo on the back cover of “Full House.” This month’s SJ Magazine clearly confirms this.
Originally, “Coffee House TSUBO” was intended to be “Coffee House POT.” While “pot” refers to a coffee pot, it’s also slang for “marijuana.” Whether the stylish owner was of Asian descent or had an interest in antiques is unclear, but they chose to go with “pot” = “tsubo.” Of course, this is just my speculation.
Orrin Keepnews, in his original liner notes, wrote, “What an exotic name,” and in the liner notes for the “Complete Riverside Recordings” 12-CD set, he mentioned, “I don’t know the origin of the name.” Naturally, Keepnews must have seen the character “壺” on the stage wall, but he never connected it to the venue’s name.
In any case, this iconic album was born at “Tsubo,” and fans who were enchanted by it all fell under its spell.