NYC music events in 2023 we want to remember, with no intention of ranking, in reverse chronological order.

1. Sun Tracing Magic Special with Ned Rothenberg (reeds) Sylvie Courvoisier (piano) Charmaine Lee (voice) Ches Smith (drums) Sae Hashimoto (percussion) David Watson (bagpipes) Makigami Koichi (voice) Satoko Fujii (piano) kappamaki (trumpet) Erik Friedlander (cello) Zeena Parkins (harps) Ikue Mori (electronics) (The Stone, December 17)
2. Ensemble Decipher: Cat’s Cradle (Roulette, October 23)
3. John Zorn at 70 celebrations at Miller Theatre at Columbia University, especially New Masada / Simulacrum (Miller Theatre, October 19)
4. Fred Frith residency at the Stone, especially Duos and Trios with Fred Frith (home-made instruments, percussion), Ikue Mori (electronics) and Nate Wooley (trumpet) and Quartet with Nava Dunkelman (percussion, voice), Fred Frith (electric guitar, voice), Carla Kihlstedt (violin, voice) and Theresa Wong (cello, voice) (The Stone, October 6 and 11).
5. Roscoe Mitchell & John McCowen / Beam Splitter and the following improvisation workshop (First Unitarian Congregational Society, Brooklyn Music School September 9 and 10)
6. John Zorn at 70 at Roulette, especially Part Three: John Zorn, Laurie Anderson, Sean Ono Lennon (Roulette, August 27)
7. Jazztopad Festival New York, especially 3 sets: 1) Amir ElSaffar, Ole Mathisen, Tomas Fujiwara 2) Ksawery Wójciński and friends (Shift, June 23) and 3) Joanna Duda, Max Mucha, Michał Bryndal, Ksawery Wójciński & Maniucha Bikont, Kirk Knuffke (Barbès, June 25)
8. La Monte Young And Marian Zazeela: Just Charles. Charles Curtis, cello. (Peter Freeman, Inc., June 4)
9. Claire Chase Density @ 10, especially Density III and IV (The Kitchen at Westbeth, May 19)
10. Vicente Atria and Mat Muntz’s “The Vex Collection” and Wet Ink Ensemble (Scholes Street Studio, May 14)
11. Long Play Festival 2023 | Bang On A Can, especially Meredith Monk’s Memory Game (Pioneer Works, May 5)
12. Champion, an opera by Terence Blanchard (The Metropolitan Opera, Aril 10 – May 13)

+ 1. Radio 477! Yara Arts Group + Serhiy Zhadan + Anthony Coleman (La MaMa, March 10 – 19)
+ 2. Shockwave Delay: Yoshiko Chuma and the School of Hard Knocks (La MaMa, June 1-11)

If you want to share your thoughts on events you want to remember, please post a comment below.