Take a bit of Art Ensemble of Chicago, a pinch of Frank Zappa’s 1988 big touring band, and a dab of the Stanford Marching Band, give them some pop-adjacent tunes and turn them loose in the studio, and you’ll have an idea of what to expect from Tales of No Consequence, the fifth album from Bergen, Norway’s avant garde jazz ensemble Whatever Happens Don’t Be Yourself. The mix of catchy composed melodies and high level improvization is mesmerizing and exciting — this one keeps growing on me.
This compact but high impact album is billed as recorded live, and it certainly has a spontaneous feel to it. Led by composer and drummer Nils Are Drønen, this nine-piece orchestra has acted as a home for some of the seasoned jazz players in Bergen and a proving ground for some of Norway’s young and upcoming players. This time out he has onboarded a disparate crew: Snorre Bjerck, a percussionist with one stick in jazz and the other in world music, guitarist Mads Berven, Barcelona-based trumpeter Audun Waage, and singer Nelly Moar, who’s been nominated for the Norwegian Grammy. Rounding the group out are some hot young jazz players: pianist Isach Skeidsvoll, Aksel Røed on saxophones, Rasmus Lagerberg on vibraphone, and Torkil Hjelle on double bass.
The program starts right off in high gear on “Opus X,” with Drønen and Bjerck going absolutely apeshit on drums, playing what amounts to two continuous free drum solos at the same time through the track’s entire three-plus minutes; piano and bass arpeggiate the portentous chords as trumpet and sax solo and duet. No sooner has the ride cymbal’s hiss faded than we’re plunged into the funky groove of “What’s My Chances?,” Moar singing what could be a lost Stevie Wonder song from the ’80s over the honk of Røed’s baritone sax. A good choice for the first single.
Progressive jazz rock fusion leads the score of the other single “School Bus,” with handclaps marking the 6/8 beat over the driving melody on trumpet, vibes and Rhodes, then into some free soloing on tenor, piano, and Drønen’s continuously raging drums. The rest of the program ranges widely, from the tender ballad “Stormy Nights” with Moar backed by a dreamy ensemble of keys, vibes, bass and drums; the world music inflected “Where The Sky Is The Highest” that crescendoes into a vibe and guitar rave-up; the soulful fusion of “Seventy-Two” with lovely wordless vocalizing by Moar, that morphs into another high stakes rave-up; the street party of “Green Candela Blues” with its Puerto Rican vibe and an astounding free piano solo; and the highly experimental title track featuring a bowed bass ostinato throughout, accompanied by jittery percussion and spooky synth effects. It’s highly entertaining, unpredictable jazz fusion the whole way.
(Is It Jazz?, 2026)
