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RUBY RUSHTON

Ruby Rushton

Legacy!

    Written by band leader Tenderlonious and keys player Aidan Shepherd, this marks a new chapter for the hugely influential UK jazz group.

    In the past the band - which also includes trumpeter Nick Walters and drummer Tim Carnegie - worked with a "one take" live approach; avoiding the use of overdubs. For 'Legacy!' the four musicians decided to combine their virtuosic abilities with Tenderlonious' studio production skills. Each of the compositions sees layers of horn and flute lines added to the melodies on top of the original live takes. The result is impressive; the listener is left with a wider sonic spectrum than previously heard on Ruby Rushton albums.

    'Legacy!' was recorded across four days in early 2025 at Rimshot Studios in Kent. Four days of joy, lived out in classic Ruby fashion; laughter and jokes at the heart of everything. You don't reach your fifth album if it's not fun. It was completely natural; a band of brothers doing what they do best. Those frosty, crisp January days found the quartet in stronger form than ever before. The band at the peak of their powers; a tight- knit group of companions and musicians, expressing themselves free of inhibitions.

    TRACK LISTING

    1. An (other) Introduction
    2. Charlie's Way
    3. Theme From Legacy! (Part 1)
    4. La Nina
    5. Otto
    6. Walk To Regio's
    7. Theme From Legacy! (Part 2)
    8. Shadows
    9. The Lighthouse
    10. Theme From Legacy! (Part 3)

    Ruby Rushton

    Stapodia

      Earlier in 2024 the band - also featuring trumpeter Nick Walters, pianist/ composer Aidan Shepherd and drummer Tim Carnegie - were invited to Mykonos as part of a collaboration between Maera Music and 22a, which allowed the band to spend a few days writing and recording some new music. It was an opportunity for the quartet to spend some time together in a secluded hillside villa without any distractions and ultimately kick start the writing process for a long overdue album.

      'Stapodia', named after an isolated island off Mykonos, begins with an infectious downtempo groove in 4/4 accompanied by a catchy horn riff, which leads us to a distinctive Ruby Rushton time signature change - a strident 5/4 beat with punchy horn lines and soaring sax and trumpet solos. These build to a virtuosic drum breakdown, before taking us back to the head of the tune and fnishing with a snappy ending.

      'Kalo Livadi', which is also named after a local Mykonian landmark, begins at a frenetic pace and instantly pulls the listener into a kaleidoscopic soundscape of futes, trumpets, synth bass and drums before ending abruptly and slowing down to a hypnotic hip hop groove, which sets the scene for a tasty keys solo. But just as you were getting comfortable the drums pick up the pace again and the band deliver some quick-fre flute and trumpet solos in a classic hard bop style, before settling back into a lazy Dilla'esque groove.

      If this is a taster for things to come, then roll on 2025!

      TRACK LISTING

      1. Stapodia
      2. Kalo Livadi

      Ruby Rushton

      Gideon's Way

        'Spanish Raga' opens the EP, inspired by an evening out after a gig in Madrid in 2019. Always unpredictable, the tune moves from delicate flute melodies to punchy synth bass and drum grooves, with a Raga inspired flute interlude in the middle. 'Fall From Grace' is a melancholic jazz folk song. Inspired by the current uncertainty we all face. It winds through a complex horn line driven by explosive drums. The EP title track 'Gideon's Way' carries on the cinematic "cop music" theme from the bands 2019 LP 'Ironside', taking inspiration from ITV's sixties cop classic 'Gideon's Way'. Latin-jazz roller 'The Good Mixer' closes out the EP in energetic fashion, with a nod to Dingwalls and other closed Camden watering holes. A free-wheeling, playful tune with combined flute and trumpet solos nodding to the Charles Mingus approach of ensemble playing, elevated by Carnegie's drum grooves. 'Gideon's Way' leaves the door ajar for the fifth Ruby Rushton album, scheduled for release later this year.

        TRACK LISTING

        1. Spanish Raga
        2. Fall From Grace
        3. Gideon's Way
        4. The Good Mixer

        ‘Ironside’ is Ruby Rushton’s most complete work to date and was recorded over a 2 day session at the legendary Abbey Road Studios. It sees the band continuing to push boundaries, and lead the way, with this new genre defying recording. The quartet’s fresh, high energy sound is rooted in the spiritual concepts of John Coltrane and Yusef Lateef, paying homage to The Headhunters and Weather Report heyday, whilst still adopting influences from hip hop, Afrobeat and the UK underground culture.

        ”Ironside” - meaning someone who is “courageous and possessing great physical and mental strength” sums up the Ruby Ruston journey so far. A personal, against the odds journey, that required Tenderlonious starting a label, 22a, back in 2013. Nobody much cared about jazz back in 2011 when the first Ruby Ruston album (‘Two For Joy’) was recorded, so the 22a platform was built, a home for friends and members of the family to release music from. Fast forward to 2019 and the jazz landscape is looking a whole lot healthier.

        The album’s title track embodies its meaning more than any other track on the album. A highly technical, jazzy jungle mover, held down by Tim Carnegie’s drums and Tenderlonious’ expeditious flute solo. ”The Return Of The Hero” nods most explicitly to the ever-present flute hero Yusef Lateef, the prancing dance of “Eleven Grapes” builds a locked groove perpetually upwards in spirals of dizzying frency, whilst “Triceratops The Caller” evokes alternating contributions from 4 Hero’s sampled breaks, J-Dilla’s loping beats and Lonnie Liston Smith’s cosmic keys, all of which coalesce in a perfect, joyous blend. The solemn beauty of “Prayer for Greenfell” is a respectful and dignified memorial, befitting of the magnitude of many lives stolen and “Pingwin VI” is dedicated to another hero of Tenderlonious - the Polish Jazz legend Kristof Komeda.

        STAFF COMMENTS

        Millie says: Ruby Rushton's been at the forefront of the UK jazz scene since 2015 and is storming ahead with a unique all-encompassing mixture of jazz, Afrobeat and hip hop. Ironside does not disappoint, high energy and instrumentally a masterpiece in itself.

        TRACK LISTING

        One Mo’ Dram
        Where Are You Now
        The Target
        Return Of The Hero
        Eleven Grapes
        Lara’s Theme
        Prayer For Grenfell
        Ironside
        Triceratops The Caller
        Pingwin
        VI (Requiem For Komeda)
        Lara’s Theme (Alternate Take)**
        Where Are You Now? (Alternate Take)**

        ** CD Only

        Ruby Rushton

        Trudi's Songbook: Volume Two

          Tenderlonious led jazz outf it Ruby Rushton drop their second album of 2017. Following on from the success of ‘Trudi’s Songbook: Volume One’ the band are back with their highly anticipated ‘Volume Two’. Comprised of a further six cuts the listener is treated to another journey through modern day jazz!

          Stand out tracks include 'Tisbury Truckin', which is a stunning opener! Starting with an atmospheric soundscape it unexpectedly drops into a neck-snapping hip-hop groove with a punchy melodic line before effortlessly sliding into an up-tempo, afro-beat inspired rhythm with strong solos from trumpet and keys in tow. “Song For Christopher” is a heartfelt ballad, which begins with a touching flute solo and continues to take the listener on a journey through the emotions, ending in a crescendo of optimism - a fitting tribute to the late Christopher Rushton.

          ”Charlotte Emma Victoria” is another strong track and includes some tasteful sousaphone and trombone parts to add extra oomph to its bounce, accompanied by a soaring saxophone solo by band leader Edward Cawthorne (aka Tenderlonious). The album ends with a classic Herbie Hancock jazz-fusion standard, “Butterfly”, which the band handle with finesse. A fitting cover that I have no doubt would impress its original writers.

          ’Trudi’s Songbook: Volume Two’ is a fantastic album, which further solidifies Ruby Rushton’s place on the modern jazz scene. This is a must have album that would hold its own in any jazz enthusiasts record collection - make sure you check it out!


          TRACK LISTING

          Tisbury Truckin
          Song For Christopher
          Trudi’s Mood (Part II)
          Charlott E Emma Victoria
          Together At Last
          Butterfly

          Ruby Rushton

          Two For Joy

            Long awaited repress of the essenti al 2015 debut album from the Tenderlonious led jazz outf it - Ruby Rushton “Two For Joy”. The album tore up the rule book at the ti me and is a refl ecti ve, instrumental compositi on, nuanced by a fusion of jazz, afro-beat, hip-hop and electronic infl uences. Features drummer Yussef Dayes of Yussef Kamaal.

            Back when Ruby Rushton released their debut album in 2015, the London jazz landscape looked very diff erent. Moses Boyd hadn’t yet released the genreunifying ‘Rye Lane Shuffl e’, Yussef Kamaal Trio had only just fi rst teased their output at the 22a Boiler Room, never mind releasing an album which opened jazz up to a completely new audience. Shabakah Hutchins too conti nued to operate from the shadows, before The Ancestors, Sons of Kemet and Comet is Coming got their dues.

            Two For Joy perhaps came at a ti me when jazz wasn’t cool, but was a triumph nonetheless, fuelled by a love of Coltrane, Yusef Lateef and Fela Kuti to more contemporary arti sts like Slum Village and Sa-Ra. Recorded way back in 2011, it tore up the rule book reaching beyond traditi onal jazz and coff ee table conformity.

            The band was a quartet at the ti me made up of composer and 22a label boss Ed Cawthorne (Tenderlonious) on Saxophone, Nick Walters on Trumpet, Aiden Shepherd on keys and Yussef Dayes (Yussef Kamaal) playing drums. The album fuses jazz, Hip Hop, Afro-Beat and electronic music, captures the sound of London today! The album is fi lled with moments of ramped-up spell-binding energy, meditati ve slow-build solos, and melancholic grooves. Recorded live in e day, “Two For Joy” is the result of four friends coming together and expressing themselves in the only way they truly can.

            TRACK LISTING

            An Introduction
            Room With A View
            Trudi Mary
            Where Are You Now? (Part 1)
            Spritely Does It!
            Two For Joy
            Aidan’s Song
            For Her
            Where Are You Now? (Part 2)
            Room With A View (Reprise)


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