Jason Lindner, a keyboardist with eclectic musical sensibilities that intermesh to create a unique voice that has served as a key ingredient for numerous projects, including David Bowie’s final album ‘Blackstar’, presents his New York-based band’s third album (and first for Jazzland), ‘The Buffering Cocoon’.
Chick Corea’s description of Lindner as a “musical universe” is shown here to be a truth rather than mere hyperbole. They produce electronic music tinged with jazz, funk and soul, with nods to relaxing vaporwave (“Accelerating Returns”), analog synth-pop (the percolating “Cloud Fishing”), danceable darkwave (the propulsive, ‘80s-reminiscent “Motion Potion”), and modern electro-R&B (“The Scarecrow”). On other songs, IDM’s taut beatkeeping, jazztronica’s livewire energy, and elements of the cutting-edge Wonky subgenre popularized by Flying Lotus and J Dilla contribute verve and velocity.
In addition to fronting Now Vs Now - whose lineup also features bassist Panagiotis Andreou and drummer Justin Tyson - Lindner is a sound designer, composer, arranger, and producer. Lindner currently tours and records with saxophonist Donny McCaslin - whose band, including Lindner, was enlisted by David Bowie for the recording of his final album, the Tony Visconti co-produced ‘Blackstar’ - and is in a particular niche to serve as keyboardist for Angelique Kidjo’s Talking Heads Remain in Light project and with Ethiopean Jazz pioneer Mulatu Astatke. He also embarks on solo and collaborative electronic projects under the name Oscillations.
