Scott M's Top 14

Ornette Coleman - Sound Grammar (Sound Grammar) - Two basses and son Denardo on drums; my favorite small group Ornette since At the Golden Circle.

Otomo Yoshihide New Jazz Orchestra - Plays Eric Dolphy's   'Out to Lunch' (Doubt Music) - Twisted, intelligent and humorous. I'm pretty sure Eric Dolphy would love it.
Listen to "Gazzelloni" from John Allen's show. (Real Audio)

Jazzfinger - Autumn Engines (Rebis) - Dynamic, lo-fi, some of the best noise happening.

Nuru Kane - Sigil (World Music Network) Senegalese desert blues + Moroccan Sufi trance, ancient to the future.
Listen to "Diarama" from Give the Drummer Some. (Real Audio)

Eglantine Gouzy - Boamaster (Osaka) - Electronique pop chanteuse featured on the 4 Women No Cry comp a few years back, total stunner.

Marconi Notaro No Sub Reinos Metazoarios (Time Lag) - This is exactly what I thought tropicalia would sound like before I heard it.  Less circus-y, more desperate psych.
Listen to "Fidelidade" from Liz Berg's show. (Real Audio)

Oxford Collapse - Remember the Night Parties (Sub Pop) - Shorter emphasis on the Feelies/Embos tradition and more on '90s emo, but the songs are attractive.

Meg Baird - Waltze of the Tennis Players 7" (Tequila Sunrise) - Singer from Espers unearths a gem from the Fraser & Debolt catalog.
Listen to "Waltze of the Tennis Players" from Mita's show. (Real Audio)

Medioni meets Roberto Rodriguez - Descarga Oriental (Piranha) - Irreverent Cuban ex-pat Rodriguez is a natural foil to Medioni's nonstandard Arabaic pop.
Listen to "Comme Tu as Change" from Evan Muse's show. (Real Audio)

Takka Takka - Indie-rock band with a Lou Reed/Dylan fixation, internalized  harmonica solos, wartime lyrics and fundamental chord progressions.

Lily Allen - Alright, Still (EMI) - Sharp MySpace poptart doles out the would-be hits.

Kurt Weisman - More is More 7" Mad Monk - Kurt from Feathers has a knack for memorable childlike hooks and a class of experimentation that's neither  turgid nor wholly expected.
Listen to "Weekend Float" from Acapulco Dance Party with Acapulco Rodriguez. (Real Audio)

Chris Corsano - The Young Cricketer (Hot Cars Warp)/ Chris Corsano - Blood  Pressure (Hot Cars Warp) / Corsano/Flaherty - The Beloved Music (Family Vineyard) - Chris Corsano can do no wrong in my eyes.  His solo drum CD-R (Hi, Professor Graves!) + his solo CD-R sans drums (Who knew?) both kill, and his duo with Paul   Flaherty rightfully continues the search begun by Coltrane/Ali then Lowe/Ali so many years ago.
Listen to "What Do You Mean This is a Dry County" from Dan Bodah's show. (Real Audio)

Kali Z. Fasteau / Kidd Jordan - People of the Ninth (Flying Note) - A rapturous, loving and outraged outpouring of emotion for displaced New Orleans resident/saxophone master Kidd Jordan. This album sounds as if it would have been made whether they brought the instruments or not. Listen to "Mr. October" from Evan Muse's show. (Real Audio)

Other WFMU Best of 2006 lists are here.

Comments

[andrew jones]

Tails Out by Otomo's New Jazz Quintent is also amazing. I might add some of Dasque Fuwara (name obviously mangled in half remembered translation) did a series of spirtual jazz big band recording complete with African wobblings ala Leon Thomas etc. that's totally amazing too.

[Scott M]

I'm a big fan of Tails Out as well, actually I love most of the Otomo that I've heard in various bands. Will need to check out Dasque Fuwara though -- from your desciption it is right up my alley.

[Norton Zenger]

Do you perhaps mean Daisuke Fuwa, leader of the phenomenal Shibusashirazu Orchestra?

[groove68]

Aficionados of Ornette Coleman, check this documentary out:

Ornette: Made in America. Taking "Skies of America" as a point of departure, independent filmmaker Shirley Clarke creates an unusual portrait.

Available as video on demand here: http://www.realeyz.tv/Ornette-Made-in-America_cont1541.html