Tenderlonious

Tenderlonious functions as producer, beatmaker, composer, label head, and multi-instrumentalist at the center of the innovative sounds emerging from London studios and clubs throughout the 2010s. Although he trained himself on saxophone, he directs three pioneering ensembles—Tenderlonious, Ruby Rushton, and 22archestra, the last named after his independent boutique imprint 22a—while allocating equal energy to reshaping club dancefloors and performing clarinet and saxophone within jazz settings. His sources range from Yusef Lateef’s jazz and global explorations through J Dilla’s sampling methods to lessons taken with Gilad Atzmon and Pat Crumly. Ruby Rushton’s first recording, Two for Joy, captured live-in-studio instrumentals reflecting admiration for Coltrane, Lateef, Fela Kuti, Slum Village, and Sa-Ra; although tracked in 2011, the album waited until 2015 for release. That same year Tenderlonious issued his initial EP, a split with Al Dobson, Jr., that fused soul-jazz with deep and left-field house alongside West African-inflected grooves. Shortly afterward he explored post-space-age jazz on the 2016 mini-LP On Flute, merging Afro-beat, jazz-funk, downtempo, deep house, and broken beat while delivering distinctive versions of Horace Silver’s “Song for My Father” and the standard “Autumn Leaves.”

Born into a military household, Cawthorne relocated frequently during childhood, living for extended periods in Germany and Cyprus before the family settled in the U.K. during the mid-1990s; he established himself in Woking. Early work centered on hip-hop, grime, and dance music, with jazz entering through his habit of sampling saxophone or flute phrases for instrumental hip-hop and grime beats inside his home studio. He also experimented with house in those formative sessions. As a young DJ he regularly drew from jazz, especially Lateef’s balanced global perspective. Entirely self-taught, Cawthorne began soprano saxophone at age 23 in 2007 after spotting an instrument in a shop window, then assembled musicians encountered at Goldsmith’s University. He christened the group Ruby Rushton after his versatile grandmother; personnel and stylistic emphasis shifted over time, yet the name endured. The first configuration featured Cawthorne on flutes, saxes, percussion, and synths alongside trumpeter Nick Walters, keyboardist Aidan Shepherd, and drummer Yussef Dayes. They recorded their album after only a few months, pressed limited copies, and sold them at performances. Alongside jazz activities Tenderlonious maintained DJ work and productions, finding Detroit techno, house, and neo soul equally vital, a realization that prompted him to launch 22a in 2013. His split single with Dobson inaugurated the label, which soon released material by Henry Wu, Mo Kolours, Jeen Bassa, Dennis Ayler, and additional artists along with his own output.

DJs including Gilles Peterson, Benji B, Osunlade, Lefto, and Alexander Nut endorsed the releases, spun the records, and invited him for live mixes on their broadcasts. Tenderlonious also supplied mixes and tracks to Ninja Tune, Brownswood Recordings, Sounds of the Universe, and Yoruba Records. By 2015 Ruby Rushton had stabilized and 22a operated steadily, allowing Tenderlonious to revise and reissue the debut album while expanding U.K. gigs. The 2016 release On Flute paired rearrangements of three jazz standards with three originals that placed post-bop and spiritual soul-jazz alongside broken beat and grime. He continued overseeing 22a and assembled 22archestra as both studio and live unit; operating parallel to his solo work and Ruby Rushton, the ensemble’s sound developed through singles such as “The Shakedown” and “Yussef’s Groove,” establishing the group among London’s most integrative bands. Their 2018 debut album The Shakedown appeared on multiple year-end lists while Tenderlonious collaborated with Ruby Rushton on the two volumes of Trudi’s Songbook and with Nick Walters & the Paradox Ensemble. Late that year he contributed to EABS’ 12-inch “Kraksa”/“Svantetic.”

Ruby Rushton’s third album Ironside arrived in early 2019 on 22a and received praise across Europe, Asia, the U.K., and U.S. At the same time Tenderlonious redirected his attention; his first solo full-length Hard Rain, issued that summer, drew inspiration from Detroit and Chicago electronic traditions exemplified by Carl Craig, J Dilla, Larry Heard, and Blaze rather than contemporary jazz figures. The record earned broad acclaim and featured in DJ sets worldwide.