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Aksel Røed
Whatever Happens Don't Be Yourself: Tales of Consequence
by Glenn Astarita
The name sounds less like a band title than advice shouted across a dimly lit house party: Whatever happens, do not be yourself. Absurd, funny, and strangely apt, the moniker sets a subversive tone for Tales of No Consequence, the fifth album from this Bergen-based nonet led by the drummer and composer Nils Are Drønen. Drønen treats the group less as a conventional jazz ensemble than as a volatile improvisational organism. What might look on paper like a ...
Continue ReadingDatadyr: This We Know
by Glenn Astarita
Norwegian jazz trio Datadyr delivers a compelling sophomore album with This We Know, refining their sound into a sophisticated gem of modern fusion. Guitarist Odd Erlend Mikkelsen, bassist Øystein Høynes, and drummer Amund Nordstrøm draw from their Bergen roots, blending American blues, country and jazz with a cool Nordic reserve. Their previous album, Woolgathering (Is It Jazz?, 2022), played like a musical resume, displaying skills in a scattered fashion. This follow-up sharpens the focus, prioritizing compositions over showmanship--as if the ...
Continue ReadingTreverket: Et Bedre Sted
by Glenn Astarita
Treverket's second album, Et Bedre Sted (A Better Place), is a delightful romp through a musical galaxy where genres collide like overzealous bumper cars. Hailing from Norway's jazz-soaked Bergen scene, this band--led by multi-instrumentalists, album composers Mathias Marstrander and Martin Hjetland--does not merely dip their toes into jazz, country, pop, and other genres; they dive in headfirst, splashing everything in sight. From the opening of “Ouverture," you may be whisked into a melodious, anthem-like soundscape that blends Nordic ...
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