The Rooibos Quartet - Rooibos (2021) [Hi-Res]

Thoughts of the American Coastal South customarily land upon neighborly folks living a laconic lifestyle amidst Spanish moss and palms. Apart from New Orleans, jazz hotbeds are thought to spring from the North’s industrial, urban centers. Bucking that trend, Charleston, South Carolina has maintained a strong jazz scene for generations and has found a wide-ranging assortment of great musicians attracted to the slower pace of Southern life.

The Rooibos Quartet is one of the outstanding ensembles to emerge from Charleston’s fertile scene. Assembled by young guitarist Jesse Shafer, the quartet, which features pianist Tyler Sim, bassist Fisher Wilson and drummer Kain Naylor, presents their debut recording, Rooibos, a collection of original tunes from Shafer that showcase the quartet’s particular blend of contemporary and classic jazz styles with a laid-back Southern demeanor.

The city of Charleston is a tourist destination that boasts a great art and music scene. The abundance of work for musicians makes it an ideal and comfortable place to set up shop. The jazz legacy that began with the Jenkins Orphanage Band and its graduates, including trumpeter Cat Anderson and guitarist Freddie Green, is celebrated and built upon by local academic institutions, including the College of Charleston.

Originally from Nashville, Shafer was drawn to the small but strong jazz department at the College. The guitarist already had a strong knowledge of folk and bluegrass playing upon his arrival. Shafer was fully immersed into jazz by his school friends, investing time in the study of jazz crossover legends Chet Atkins and Les Paul, then into progressives like Bill Frisell and Marc Ribot. The local scene also nourished his appetite for the music, as he found a helpful mentor in guitarist Tyler Ross, a member of the Charleston Jazz Orchestra.

While he was working in a local music store, Shafer met drummer Naylor. The two began performing regularly around Charleston, where the album’s producer, Wolfgang Zimmerman, a local recording engineer, began following them. Bassist Wilson were friends through the College and when the trio was placed together with pianist Sim on a gig, the Rooibos Quartet was born. All the members of the group are current or former students at the College.

Shafer composed a book of original material for the group, which he presented to Zimmerman. The producer brought Rooibos into his Rialto Row Studio in late February and early March of 2020. Zimmerman has made a name for himself for his work with Band of Horses and other rock acts, but this would be his first jazz recording. The group was ecstatic to record in the studio’s wonderful wood lined room, producing a full, classic jazz sound.

The recording begins with the expansive “A Trip Around The Sun,” an openly played piece that Shafer shaped over the course of a year, its dynamics mirroring seasonal variations in brightness and darkness. The guitarist wrote the quirky “Sewer City Blues” out of frustration with the unseemly garbage problem on the streets of Charleston. The piece owes its bent character to the influence of hobo-chanteur Tom Waits. The serenely mysterious “Ingratiate” is Shafer’s oldest piece, which owes its mystique to its unusual 14-bar form and the quartet’s affecting performance.

The effervescent “Con” reimagines the classic swing to bebop sound that Shafer was attracted to via Les Paul and Charlie Parker, a fitting way to demonstrate the ensemble’s ease in this setting. The gently swinging “Warm Winters” takes its drawl from Charleston’s Southern, slowly twanged influence. Luiz Bonfa’s love song “Gentle Rain” is done in an inspired ¾ time rendition, as the ensemble tried to bring something authentically new to the gorgeous piece while staying true to the form. The recording concludes with the singsong “Wood Blocks and Spinning Tops,” a simple, effective piece that focuses on a nursery song type melody over complex harmonic structure.

The Southern charms of Charleston have certainly attracted a wide breadth of musical talent. The Rooibos Quartet is a perfect example of the next generation of jazz performers pursuing an attractive mixture of modern concepts with a relaxed approach, which can be easily appreciated on the ensemble’s new album, Rooibos.

Jesse Shafer - guitar
Fisher Wilson - double bass
Tyler Sim - piano
Kain Nayler - drums