Brendan Rothwell | Time On My Hands | Jazz Quarterly Review
Composer and Producer Brendan Rothwell is a bass player in complete knowledge of the gradations of his instrument. His method is a tranquil spread of undercurrents with rhythmic variability, enabling him to invoke auditory images in a splendidly impressionistic style. Rothwell’s debut “Time On My Hands” showcases a collective of ethereally crafted tracks designed to induce sequences of pulsating waves throughout your central being. Time On My Hands is time well spent. - Jazz Quarterly
smooth jazz.com Global Top 50 chart
"Time On My Hands" reaches #12
smoothjazz.com Global Top 50 chart...
"Time On My Hands" reaches #13
smoothjazz.com Global Top 50 chart...
"Time On My Hands" reaches #17
Indie Artist of the Week!!!
So proud to have been selected as Indie Artist of the Week by the luxury online music magazine, JazzQuarterly.com for the week of May 1, 2017.
Review of Time On My Hands by Keith Richard at thejazzworld.com
Posted By ExoticDJ on March 19, 2017
I have always said that the bass is the essential element in the band. Why? Well, it is the bottom of the groove. I mean, you can have a track without any drums, and if you have a good bassline, the drums become an afterthought.
It is always nice to have a new, talented musician on the scene. Brendan Rothwell has released his debut album, Time On My Hands, and it has some grooves that you will want to sample.
Hailing from Canada, Brendan Rothwell is an accomplished Canadian composer, bass player, and producer.
“Tutu”, the 1986 album from Miles Davis, was the driving force and as Brendan describes it “a trigger” for his choice to play the bass. The technique, impact and feeling that the great Marcus Miller demonstrated on this album with his own musical mentor, was enough to solidify the decision for Brendan that the bass was his instrumental calling.
Brendan believes in bucking the trend of the bass being in the background, preferring to optimize the tone, scale, feeling and musicality of the instrument. His playing demonstrates meaning and depth, and reaction to his music often reflects astonishment from the listener in the capability of the bass.
Brendan Rothwell New Album Time On My Hands
Track listing
The album opens with an Intro. This is where Brendan will “wake up the bass,” to give us a little warmup of what’s to come. If you have never hear a band “sound check” before a show, this is what it would sound like.
This Is The Love is the first track, an upbeat funky track, and as you hear that bassline out in front, you know he means business! Brendan plays nicely off of the backing vocals that are sprinkled throughout.
Time On My Hands reminds me of an extra long interlude. If you are spending a relaxing evening at home, play this track as you open your favorite bottle of wine, and you will notice that it will taste that much better.
We pick up the pace just a little with Decade. If you like your drum and bass on the smooth side, this track is for you.
The King features the acoustic bass, and there is something to be said about creating music in its purest form. The King captures that.
Smooth definitely lives up to it’s name. This is a track that will fit right in with the Smooth Jazz sound that is happening right now.
This is a solid first effort from this talented artist. We are looking forward to more music from Brendan, as he takes his musical journey.
Posted in Music Reviews Tagged Bass, Brendan Rothwell, new jazz songs, smooth jazz songs, smooth jazz tracks
smooth jazz.com The Listening Loft
Canadian composer, bassist and producer Brendan Rothwell cites Marcus Miller’s work on Miles Davis’ classic recording TUTU as the reason he chose his lead instrument. His debut album TIME ON MY HANDS is a showcase for the bass’ ability to stir melodic excitement while creating deep, hypnotic rhythms. While his soulful, funky fluidity often brings to mind the coolness of the late Wayman Tisdale, there’s also an atmospheric, trippy and mystical exploratory vibe influenced by Miller’s slow simmering fusion style. You’ll enjoy keeping time with TIME ON MY HANDS! ~JONATHAN WIDRAN
Review of Time On My Hands from www.thesmoothjazzride.com
Brendan Rothwell may or may not be a bassist with whom you are familiar, but he certainly should be. His approach, at least on this album Time On My Hands, is at its very least quite interesting as his is a laid-back yet highly competent style of bass playing. The melodies are rich and pleasant; the playing pretty introspective — and maybe a bit too much so for those seeking that funky in-your-face slap bass style.
Playing the instrument as if trying to convey some deep discovery or observation, his approach seems almost cerebral, again not something simply for the groove-seeker. It is more a lesson in how to massage the bass (“wake it” and “let it breathe,” as he says) and speak through it, which is honestly the reason why I chose to review this project. You can hear that on the lead track (“Intro (Wake the Bass)”) and “The King.”
There’s a special character to this material. When he does get to that in-the-pocket groove, as you’ll hear on tracks like “This Is the Love” (which includes some cool background vocals from unnamed vocalists), the light, sweet, silky, and melodic title track, and “Smooth,” you’ll see why this 7-track EP warrants attention.
For Rothwell’s finale (“Outro (Stories”)), he offers us a food-for-thought narrative that’s really worth a listen. One of those “hmm” moments.
When you listen to Rothwell, you’ll undoubtedly hear skill and command of the instrument. Personally, I’m hoping to hear more from him, and I hope he’ll expand to include more of what bass-lovers crave in C=jazz, not to take anything away from this enlightening approach. In fact, I’m sure many bassists (and bass fans) will find something truly refreshing about this EP. – Ronald Jackson