Nils Are Dronen

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Whatever Happens Don't Be Yourself: Tales of Consequence

by Glenn Astarita
May 22, 2026

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 ...