Ruby Rushton

Founded by saxophonist and flautist Tenderlonious (real name: Ed Cawthorne), Ruby Rushton is a British ‘new jazz’ group that combines soul-jazz, Afrobeat, Latin grooves, electronica, hip-hop and modal post-bop into a modern sound that has reignited the UK jazz scene. Initially a DJ, Tenderlonious was intrigued by the jazz music that he sampled – particularly the music of Yusef Lateef and John Coltrane. Buying a soprano saxophone in 2007, he began to learn the instrument, eventually forming an early incarnation of Ruby Rushton. While the group’s musical direction and line-up evolved over the years, Tenderlonious held on to the band’s name. The group’s fluid line-up now revolves around a core group of musicians that includes Tenderlonious, Nick Walters (synths/trumpet), and Aidan Shepherd (keyboards). Their first album, Two for Joy, was recorded in late December 2011, and featured drummer Yussef Dayes. After several years, Tenderlonius set up his own label, 22a, and reissued Two for Joy in 2015 to great acclaim. Originally focused on improvisation, Ruby Rushton began to rely on tight arrangements, which were much more prominent on their two 2017 albums, Trudi’s Songbook: Volume One and Trudi’s Songbook: Volume Two. The albums were met with critical acclaim and were playlisted on many of the jazz-oriented radio stations in the UK. In 2019, the group issued the album Ironside, again to great acclaim.