Well, as the end of the year is near, these were the CDs for me in 2003: 1. Maja Ratkje: Voice (Rune Grammofon) Great singer, improviser and composer from Norway. Everyone should listen as well to the bands she is in: Spunk and Fe-Mail. 2. Ami Yoshida: Tiger Trush (Improvised Music From Japan) Another great singer and improviser. 99 tracks of delicious vocal experiments. 3. Caetano Veloso & Jorge Mautner: Eu não peço desculpa (Universal) Another great record of Caetano Veloso with some slighty less mainstream touches. 4. Chicks-On-Speed: 99 Cents (Chicks-On-Speed) Just a great pop record. 5. John Zorn: Filmworks XIV (Tzadik) Nothing new, but really beautiful... 6. Toshimaru Nakamura & Tetuzi Akiyama: Meeting at Off Site Vol. 2 (Improvised Music From Japan) Another fine installment in this series that documents Tokyo's Off Site scene. 7. Melt-Banana: Cell Scape (A-Zap Records) Their best CD until now... 8. John Butcher: Invisible Ear (Fringes Recordings) Great solo saxophone record 9. OOIOO: Kila Kila Kila (Ape Sounds) Yoshimi (Boredoms) does it again: The 3rd (?) fantastic album of OOIOO 10. Sylvie Courvoisier: Abaton (ECM) Beautiful music, composed and improvised, with Mark Feldman and Erik Friedlander. Best re-issues: 1. Supersilent: 1-3 (Rune Grammofon) Norwegian impro... 2. Pierre Barouh: Saudade (Saravah) French bossa nova from the early sixties... 3. Boby Lapointe: Anthologie 3CD (Universal France) Nice big best-of set from the singer who sings in Truffaut's 'Shoot The Piano Player' Best compilation: 1. Amplify02 Balance 7CDs + DVD box set (Erstwhile)