From: Seth Tisue <s-tisue AT nwu.edu>
Subject: 1996 Top 19
Date: Mon, 13 Jan 1997 11:15:42 -0600


I hesitate to make these lists since there's so much that came out
last year that I haven't heard, but here goes...

  previously unissued blasts from the past:
    Tony Conrad: Four Violins (Table of the Elements)
    John Carter & Bobby Bradford: Tandem 1 (Emanem)
    Merzbow: Rainbow Electronics 2 (Dexter's Cigar)
  jazz/improv Chicago:
    Fred Anderson: Birdhouse (OkkaDisc)
    Barrage Double Trio: Utility Hitter (Quinnah)
    Hamid Drake & Michael Zerang: Ask the Sun (OkkaDisk)
    NRG Ensemble: This Is My House (Delmark)
    Cinghiale: Hoofbeats of the Snorting Swine (Eighth Day)
    Fredrick Lonberg-Holm: Personal Scratch (Eighth Day)
  jazz/improv elsewhere:
    Gustafsson/Guy/Lovens: Mouth Eating Trees and Related Activities
      (OkkaDisk)
    Myra Melford: The Same River, Twice (Gramavision)
    Tony Oxley Celebration Orchestra: The Enchanted Messenger (Soul
      Note)
    What We Live: s/t (DIW)
  contemporary classical:
    Helmut Lachenmann: Solo Pieces (Disques Montaigne)
    various: New York School 3 (hat ART)
  rock:
    feedtime: Billy (Amphetamine Reptile)
    Ex: Instant (Ex)
    Gastr del Sol: Upgrade and Afterlife (Drag City)
  my idol:
    Jandek: White Box Requiem (Corwood)

1996 releases I haven't heard yet that probably would have made the
list if I'd heard them: AMM, Cecil Taylor, Ralf Wehowsky, Bernhard
Guenter, Borbetomagus/Voice Crack, Joe McPhee, Red Krayola, Iannis
Xenakis, etc.

Lotta great reissues this year: Hal McKusick, Roscoe Mitchell, Ornette
Coleman, Sun Ra, John Zorn, Jimmy Giuffre, AMM, Voice Crack, Derek
Bailey, Oval, Scott Walker, Gang of Four, Misfits box, Ubu box, etc.

Best live music by out-of-towners coming through Chicago: AMM,
Fushitsusha, Tony Conrad, Joe McPhee, Mats Gustafsson, Voice Crack.

== Seth Tisue <s-tisue AT nwu.edu>         http://www.cs.nwu.edu/~tisue/